Deidara's Story
Clay Hearts Molded
Chapter 6: Roadside Ambush, Hidden Ability
Deidara had never thought about any of the deciding factors that had made him do it. In fact, he couldn't even really tell what had led up to the incident. Thinking back as the wagon train rolled on, he scratched his head, willing the thoughts to pervade his silence and make sense of themselves.
The sun was at the nine 'o clock position, and he had yawned, his lungs extruding the old air in favor of the crisp morning sweetness that now fell upon him. As he stretched, he noticed that his left shoulder had fallen numb during the night. Bewildered, he glanced down, wondering just what it was that had happened. Then, the gentle breathing of the woman that had fallen asleep, using his shoulder as a pillow, was all he could hear.
Deidara had smiled to himself, thinking...he didn't know what. But, all of a sudden, something fell upon him. Something he had never felt before. He had to blink several times before he was sure that the feeling wouldn't just get up and go away. But...there it was.
Shizune...asleep next to him. It felt...right, in a way. Not the sort of right that he was used to, but the right that he could tell, without a moment's hesitation, was supposed to be. Then, it had happened.
Her glossy lips were pointed at him. He felt his gaze drawn to them. He felt himself pulled towards them like a wasp to honey. Slowly...painfully, almost...he leant over and placed his own lips on hers. The feeling exhilarated him. His body tingled with an intense, insane energy that he had never experienced before. Kissing Shizune was nothing close to kissing Yanoi. Yes, he loved Yanoi with his whole heart. He someday wanted to call her his own. But...something there in that cave. Something about Shizune-hime. Something...something...
"Deidara-kun! Shizune-hime!" The call from the forest interrupted his bliss, and his lips left their slumber upon the warm embrace of Shizune as he sighed.
"Damn it. Just like Yodae to interrupt something like this, un." Slowly, his charge awoke, being disturbed by the frantic shouts below. Completely unaware of what had transpired, she yawned, stretching and licking her lips.
"Hm...Ohayoo..."
"Ohayoo, Shizune-hime." He had smiled at her. Turning her head, she returned his smile sleepily, her eyes closing half-way as if to remember what sleep had really been.
"What time is it, Deidara-kun?"
"Hn. About time to leave. Yodae and the other guards are down below. They..."
"Shizune-hime! Deidara-kun! Where are you? We must hurry! We are late, now!" Another sigh passed his lips. It would be forever before he could have another time alone with the girl. In fact, he didn't know if that time would ever come. They were only another day or two away from their target, and after that, he would never see her again. Or, presumably at any case.
"Hm. Come, Shizune-hime. They are waiting for us, un." Stretching once more, he stood, turning back to proffer a hand to the girl. "Come." She smiled back at him, taking the offered appendage and hauling herself roughly up. Patting down her clothes to rid them of the wrinkles of the night, she stood, nodding slightly at him.
"I am ready, Deidara-kun. Please...do not tell Yodae what has transpired here."
Deidara curtly nodded back. It wouldn't do to worry the man or his followers over the events that had gone on the previous evening. Besides that...it was between he and Shizune.
"Of course, princess. Let us go, now."
The rest of the events were truly uninteresting. He had brought Shizune down the mountain, much to the joy of the guards and Yodae. The only question he had received was from one of the minor guards, who had asked why he and Shizune-hime were in a cave to begin with. His answer had been quaint.
"If it was raining outside, and you were outside, and you were wet, cold, and hungry...wouldn't you take shelter in a cave instead of taking the time to build a house, un?" The other guards had laughed, giving him a prod in the ribs and a hearty 'good job'.
The man felt torn by his emotions. He shouldn't feel anything for the woman. She was an assignment and a mission. An obligation, at any rate. Why did he harbor such un-shinobi like qualities? Deidara had a fine woman waiting at home for him, who would meet him with open arms. This wasn't something that he would normally do at the off-chance that he could mess up a good thing.
Deciding to ponder the questions later, he turned his attention to the present. So far, nothing bad had happened. The birds were singing. The grass was green. The wind blew slightly, cooling them off as the sun beat down. It was a beautiful morning to be alive. Beautiful. Riding on top the carriage, Deidara could only speculate that nothing would keep him from his goal.
He was wrong...
--
It was about two-thirty in the afternoon. The sun had continued to beat mercilessly down at the men, causing some of them to remove their standard body armor and cloaks and resort to walking, allowing their animals to carry their gear. The road was dry and dusty, throwing up sediment with every foot fall. Glaring up at the yellow orb in the sky, Deidara grit his teeth.
"It's too hot to be traveling at the moment, un. This heat is almost unbearable. We should find a place to settle down until the afternoon has passed by."
"I wish we could, Deidara-kun. Truly. My men can feel the sweat pour from their backs like water. But, we must deliver Shizune-hime with all haste. Not a moment to spare. We have lost precious time with these raiding bandits," Yodae said simply from his position nearby. Deidara snorted his rebellion. At least it wasn't raining.
Splash...splash...splash splash...Quirking his head slightly behind him, he took stock of the road. They had just traveled through a couple of puddles, rippling with the after-effects of the hooves of horses plodding through them.
Hn. Strange, this road seems better taken care of than that.Uninterested in wondering further, the shinobi turned back to the main road, wary, but bored.
Suddenly, the wheels began to crack on the carriage. The occupant inside gave a scream as the braces holding the vehicle up broke and splintered, sending the cab to the ground in a jarring smash. Thrown from his seat, Deidara was hurled forward. Sensing the ground, he tucked himself in, rolling to a stop before hopping to his feet and turning. The wagon was listing dangerously to the right, threatening to topple...and take those inside down with it. Quickly running forward, Deidara grabbed the knob of the door, thrusting it open and snatching a dazed and confused Shizune from the inside. Hopping a short distance away, both watched the carriage fall, crashing to the right and breaking the windows and framing of the intricate piece of riding equipment.
A yell from Deidara's right caught his attention next. One of the horses bucked, rising up onto its front feet and kicking out at anyone stupid enough to get close. Another quick glance told Deidara everything. Its feet were being eaten upon. Hundreds of small, white grubs were going to work on the beast's legs, and already, the blood was pouring off like a geyser of crimson.
"Get off your horses, un! Now!" The men immediately did as told, those who had rode. Some who didn't tended to their animals, swiping at the grubs with anything that came to hand. Watching this, Deidara inspected the wagon wheels. The same grubs were busy there as well, eating the wood and turning it into a pulpy mess. In a few seconds, a spoke was devoured. "What manner of creature are these?"
"I call them weevil insects." A man stepped from the woods, sneering in their direction. More soon followed, stepping out and wielding all manner of dangerous looking weaponry. "You cross Red Hand land. Leave your equipment here...or die."
"Oh, come on! Not you guys again!" Standing at full height, the man sighed, rubbing a hand through the back of his hair. The Red Hand was beginning to be a real pain in the ass. "What do you guys want now? Haven't I already beaten the hell out of you enough, un?"
The apparent leader of the rabble sneered, placing a hand on the sword at his hip. "You may have beaten scouting parties. But...you never fought me, shinobi scum."
"How can you say that, un? You're a shinobi as well." Deidara, in his attempt at persuading the man to just go away with his irrefutable logic, did the exact opposite. Spitting into the dust, the man crouched, pulling his sword lithely from its sheath.
"I am not a shinobi anymore. Shinobi are the dogs of the country. I am a freedom fighter. I fight for the good of all shinobi. You fools just don't realize it. Now...as I said before, leave your goods, your wagon, and your horses. You will strip all of the weaponry that you have off, and you will walk up the road. Do this now, or we will kill you."
Deidara couldn't even believe his ears. How foolish were shinobi like this? "Well, first off, un. Our wagon is destroyed by your insect things. Our horses are in no better shape. To top it all off, you are really pissing me off now, so, to put it simply, I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request." As the man in front of him blinked, obviously not understanding, Deidara smiled. "Means no."
"Very well." Without another sound, the man suddenly disappeared, he and all of his cohort next to him. Deidara scoffed, pulling a kunai from his bag at his side and sticking his right hand deeply into his clay pouch.
"So, clones. Guess they weren't as stupid as I thought." Turning to the guards, who were busy trying to figure out the situation, Deidara gave them a curt nod. "Don't allow Shizune-hime out of your sight. Whatever you do, she is to remain unharmed...understand?" Deidara was in no mood to play games, nor was he in any real mood to be fighting more Red Hand fools who thought that they were a match for him. It wasn't easy turning Jounin at fifteen. But, he would soon show them exactly how hard it had really been.
However, he hadn't counted on the fact that the shinobi he was facing knew any doton's at all, much less the one that was now being pulled on him. "Doton: Tsuchiwana Tojikomemasu no Jutsu!" Deidara grunted in pain as two rocky spikes protruded from the ground, ripping through the tendons of his foot and ankle and pinning him in place. Of course, that was the least of his worries, as a large wall of rock and dirt formed up and around him, cutting off the light and effectively blinding him with loose soil.
"Hn...damn it. These bastards are really getting on my nerves, un." His left hand opened, allowing three small pieces of clay to drop to the ground. Gritting his teeth, he dipped down, feeling the strain on his foot as he changed positions and ripped more cartilage apart. He blessed his lucky stars that the wound was minor comparatively. The bone would heal, since the rocky spikes hadn't actually pierced through them. Cartilage and muscle was relatively easy to repair, and any good medical shinobi would apply a thorough amount of chakra to it to stem the bleeding.
He could have almost smiled as the pain wracked his body. He didn't have a medical shinobi, and his own medical jutsu was...weak at best. He could perhaps stop the bleeding, but his foot would still be injured for the remainder of the trip. His right hand began to go to work, the kunai flashing down as Deidara attempted to crack the stone and be released. However, the first crack made caused a litany of lightning fast pain bolts to shoot through him. Groaning, he released the kunai, grabbing the rock and attempting to pry it apart.
"It's no good, shinobi." Deidara stopped, glaring up at the face that appeared from within his rocky prison. The man's smile echoed with his self-satisfaction, and a chuckle issued deep within his sternum. "This technique makes you as good as dead. If you try and pry apart the stone, it will grow to handle the pressure. There is only enough air in here for about another two minutes, so, if I were you, I would begin praying to whatever god you believe in. Of course, I doubt that even your god would hear your cries from within this prison." His smile widened, and his chuckle deepened.
Then, something that he couldn't expect happened. Deidara...smiled right back. In fact, his smile was perhaps just as wide, his white teeth flashing at him, mocking him even in the throes of certain death. The man stopped his mocking grin, instead reverting his face to that of a lopsided frown. "No matter how much you think you will escape, you won't. This technique is unbreakable. You're dead. In fact, my three men are just now taking care of your entourage."
However, Deidara's smile never left. "When I get out of here, I'm going to rip your face off, un."
--
Outside, Yodae was having troubles of his own. He had backed up against the carriage, careful to not touch the wheels for fear of invoking the insects to attack him. Grunting as he removed a kunai from his shoulder, he grit his teeth, feeling the slimy thickness of blood seeping down his right arm. Two of his men already lay impaled by weapons. The rest were crowded about the carriage, holding their weapons up as best as possible to fend off any other projectiles.
"Is that the best you idiots have?" A mocking cry rang out from the still forest. Another kunai whipped in, catching the man on Yodae's immediate left just above the collarbone. With a strangled cry, he slipped to the ground, writhing for a moment before ceasing his movement. Another kunai flew in from Yodae's right, and the man had just a second to dodge before he felt it rip into muscle and cartilage.
He hit the ground, holding a hand to his leg to steady it before ripping the offending weapon out and casting it scornfully to the ground.
"Sir, what do we do?" His men were agitated. They hadn't lost anyone up to this point, and they were now threatened with total annihilation.
"We do as promised. We protect Shizune-hime at all costs!"
"But sir, we're getting slaughtered out here! We need to...arg!" Another weapon ceased the man's worries for good. His lifeless body hit the ground as fast as his life had been extinguished, the three senbon sticking out from his forehead. Yodae grimaced, standing up shakily as his blood pumped from his wounds.
Behind him, Shizune stood, eying their surroundings. Her heart flew in her chest, and she could barely breathe. This was her first time in a real combat situation. Yes, she had always been able to fend for herself during sparring matches with her instructor back at the mansion. In fact, her sparring master had always told her that she was one of the deadliest women that he had had the privilege of training.
But, she had never actually used said combat training in real life combat. Men were dying now. Men were going down like flies now. She could hardly even imagine trying to fight back. These were shinobi, out for their blood. Deidara-kun was trapped in a case of rock and earth, and Yodae's men couldn't hope to compete with these blood lusting savages.
"Suiton: Odorimasu Senritsu Riguretto no Jutsu!" From out of nowhere, a wind instrument began to play, its melody being picked up on the wind. Her eyes darted upward into the treetops, where she could spy a shinobi, his loose red garments flowing in the breeze. In his hands, a flute played merrily, and his eyes were closed in concentration, his body swaying gently with the music he put forth.
Suddenly, the puddles on the road began to vibrate, droplets of water dancing on their surface as they began to lift from the ground, twirling around in miniature cyclones of their own. The men pressed in closer as they formed together, one by one, than two by two, than four by four, each time becoming larger and larger, until the men and Shizune found themselves encased within a massive, twirling vortex of water and chaos.
A man near the edge ventured his spear towards the swirling maelstrom. As the sharpened head touched the waters, the spear was sucked from his grasp, the force of it pulling him forward. His face came into contact with the swirling liquid, and he screamed as his flesh was rendered from bone. With a horrid cry, he fell backwards, hands clawing at where his face used to be, nothing more than a piece of broken meat.
Shizune turned her face away from the horrid sight, allowing her gaze to travel back to the water. The group was trapped effectively within the technique. Much to her horror, the water also seemed to buckle in and out, dancing along with the music. Soon, it would creep closer, and then...
They would all look like the face of the man on the ground, whose sobs could be heard slightly above the noise, and whose tears refused to fall from the sockets that had once contained eyes.
--
"Can't you hear it?" The Red Hand soldier was taunting him now, even as he grimaced in pain as the stone anklets grew another size. He could hear his bones crack, and Deidara was distinctly aware of more muscles ripping through. He couldn't take the pain much longer. "Can you hear your comrades? They will die soon...all of them. Perhaps I will end their suffering faster this way. Perhaps...I will kill them without further pain and violence."
Deidara grit his teeth, taking his kunai and chucking it forcefully at the face that he was confronted with. Uninterestedly, the Red Hand merely moved back, the weapon clinking off of the stone and landing on the ground. A moment later, and he was back, his taunting smile still there. "You'd like to kill me, wouldn't you, shinobi? You'd love to watch me burn."
"Hn. Burn isn't what I would want for you, un. I'd merely rip every piece of clothing you had on off you, and toss you into a hornet's nest." Deidara wasn't going to bandy words with the man. He had to find a way out of the mess. He wasn't going to die there. That was for certain.
"Come now. I'm sure, with all of your shinobi training, you can think of a more cruel punishment for me. Look at the pain your friends are in. See the pain you are in. You can come up with more than just a hornets nest, am I right?" The stone's grew again, and Deidara cut off the cry of pain in his throat. "Yes, shinobi. Feel it. Feel the pain you're in now."
However, Deidara's grimace soon turned to a smile, and his head rose up. His piercing blue eyes rested on the Red Hand's dyed yellow ones, a chuckle working up in his throat. "What...what is so funny?" Deidara didn't answer, merely laughing at the scornful face directed at him. "What the hell is so funny!?"
"Hahahaha! You...you Red Hand fools! You never...never take into consideration...the...the...hahahaha!" Deidara, convulsed in mirth, doubled over, hands clutched to his sides in an attempt to stop the pain that was threatening to constrict his airways. The Red Hand soldier sniffed, moving backwards.
"If you think that this is so funny, than I believe that it is time to end the game. Goodbye...shinobi." Wordlessly, the man left, reappearing outside and landing lightly on the ground. His right hand came up, pointer and middle finger pointed to the sky as his eyes closed in concentration. "Kai!" Instantly, the earthen dome behind him crushed inward, crumpling as one would crush together a piece of paper.
When the sound of rending stone behind him ceased, the man took a breath, taking time to look up at the maelstrom of water that was crushing inward. "Well then, that settles that. Now it is time to..."
"Katsu!" The dome of earth expanded once more, and, shocked, the Red Hand nin turned, watching wide-eyed as projections of light erupted from the ball of earth. With a mighty explosion, he was thrown back, feeling the tree behind him stop his backwards momentum and crying out involuntarily at the shock it gave him. Hitting the ground again, he sneered at the form that was calmly making its way to him, a limp in its right leg.
"You...you...shinobi...bastard..."
"You should have killed me when you had the chance, un. Thankfully, you took long enough for my clay jutsu to worm its way low enough into the ground to disrupt your technique, but not be close enough to actually kill me with it." A triumphant smile etched itself on Deidara's face as he leaned over, grabbing the shinobi up by his coat and hauling him up roughly. Slamming his back into the tree, Deidara grinned maniacally at him. "Now, what's that about you killing me, un?"
The shinobi grunted, legs kicking futilely. Then, they stopped as he looked down into Deidara's blue eyes. "Goodbye...shinobi..."
A rain of senbon flew in, one piercing Deidara's arm and the rest falling about harmlessly. Without another moments pause, Deidara turned viciously, holding the other man's body up in an effort to block any more projectiles with his flesh.
"Tell them to stop...or so help me, I'll..."
"You'll what, shinobi? You are in no position to make orders here...hahahaha!" With a poof, the man was gone, replaced by an overtly small stick. Grimacing, Deidara again heard the whistle of senbon, ducking down behind a tree and feeling the weapons sizzle by.
"Damn it...this isn't going well..." His left hand again dove for clay, even as his right hand was busy in his weapons pouch, pulling out two kunai that he held in a scissor-like fashion. "Guess I'll have to figure something out for this situation, un."
--
Back inside the watery tornado, Shizune stood, attempting to make herself as small as possible to afford the men guarding her more room inside. They had already lost two others, having fallen victim to less space and the deadly, swirling waters. The man who had originally tried his luck was being ripped apart slowly, his lifeless body having already been cut virtually in half by the receding technique. A muffled sob caught in Shizune's throat as she took each breath as calmly as possible. Most of the men were in hysterics, screaming and ranting at one another as they jockeyed to be closer towards the middle of the typhoon.
Another man screamed, his arms ripped apart as he accidentally stepped too close to the maelstrom. On the periphery of her hearing, Shizune could make out the flute still playing, high up in the treetops. If only...I could see...
--
Deidara tucked himself in, avoiding more senbon as he lashed out with his kunai. The two nin he was facing were extremely skilled at staying hidden from view, only occasionally throwing a weapon or launching a weak doton or fuuton at him. The eddying waters that made up the suiton were deafening to his hearing, and so the senbon were extremely difficult to find and dodge.
"What's the matter, shinobi? Having difficulties already?" Deidara grunted, dodging to the right as three senbon pierced the tree he had been hiding next to. Catching his breath, he glanced to his left, attempting to make out the individuals in the woods. It...wasn't working.
"Damn it. These guys are really pissing me off, un." Standing, he ran into the woods further, taking to the trees and hopping from branch to branch to get a better visual.
"Too slow, shinobi!" A man appeared directly in front of him, crashing down and slamming his shoulder into Deidara's middle. As his air left him, Deidara felt himself crashing through boughs and limbs. His back was literally on fire as one particularly large limb smashed through. The Red Hand in front of him smiled as the ground came closer...closer...
Then, it was Deidara's turn to smile back. The man glanced up where the blond's grin was plastered on his face, and he grimaced.
"Now you die, shinobi!"
"Wrong...you die, now...un..." As both hit the ground, the blond's body catching the blow, the man rolled, hitting the dirt and getting back up. Without a pause, he flung himself back into the treetops, to await Deidara's next move.
Finding himself in a large, sheltered area, he paused, taking a breath to regain his bearings and turn back around. You're going to die, shinobi. I'm going to kill you, right here and now...A kunai flashed from his weapons pouch, and he crouched low, ready to fly off and catch Deidara unaware.
"Katsu!" The sound echoed about the forest, and for a moment, the man stood undecided, as if trying to figure out the meaning of that. However, the feeling of something on the back of his head caught his attention first. Surprised, the man grabbed at the object, ripping it off his back and bringing it in front of him. At first, he couldn't understand how a spider that big had found its way onto his coat.
The next thing he didn't understand was how a spider that big...could get bigger.
The last thing he didn't understand was the smoke and light emanating from the spider's body.
Then...he didn't need to understand anything else. One doesn't have to understand why one is exploding. One just has to know that one's dead.
Taking a flying leap, Deidara again ascended into the treetops, kunai out. A sound from behind caught his attention, and he flipped in mid-air, turning about and catching the Red Hand's kunai on his own. Even as the two fell, they remained locked together, kunai entwined as each attempted to win out over the other.
"You're going to die!"
"I wouldn't count on it, un..."
--
Shizune was beginning to lose hope that Deidara would come to the rescue. There were only nine guards, including Yodae, left now. The rest had fallen prey to the jutsu. Blood pooled upon the ground, as if the skies themselves had poured liquid red down for hours at a time. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps. The deaths of each man had unnerved her. She didn't know if she could take another.
Another man screamed, his arm wrenched from its socket. He turned, catching his shoulder on the whipping water and watching horridly as it was ripped away. His beating heart was exposed, along with a lung and a multitude of veins. His eyes rolled into his head, and he fell backwards, his head bouncing slightly as it was pulled from his neck and tossed casually on the watery oblivion.
"Shizune-hime...for...forgive us. We...we have...have failed you..." Yodae took a backstep, sheltering in the lee of the wagon, which was beginning to fly apart with the force of the air being whipped around. Shizune merely nodded.
It wasn't how she wanted to die. In fact, it wasn't how she had wanted to live. Had she been more rigid in her ideals, she would never have allowed herself to leave the sanctity of her mansion. She would be home, brushing her hair, loving the fact that she was trapped forever in a place of her fathers wishing. She would do chores...she would feed the horses...she would be the good daughter her father had always wanted.
No, she told herself. No, I wouldn't. That's not what I wish for. That's...that's not what I would want. If I die, than I die with honor. I won't die like this. Opening her eyes, she took in her surroundings. The blood...the mangled bodies, the horror around her. She took in everything. If she were to die, she wouldn't die like a scared little brat that still believed in happy ever afters.
Then, the water crushed into the wagon's top most corner. Without much of an effort, it ripped apart the fragile wood, smashing it like tinder. However, as it did so, a part of the jutsu was disrupted, leaving an open space through which to see the blue sky and bright sun. The tall trees and the green leaves. The boughs and twigs...and...
Her eyes opened. There, on the top bough, stood the enemy shinobi, his hands still playing the flute as the water danced. For a brief second, his eyes shot open, and he gazed into the watery hell. A smile slowly formed on his face, and he played faster. The water whipped around, destroying the wagon further and cutting off her vision of him.
However, the reality sank in, and her eyes opened in understanding. Turning to Yodae, who was silently saying a prayer to Kami, she yanked on his arm. "Yodae-san. Yodae-san!"
"Hm? Shizune-hime?"
"I need to make a break in the water."
"A...break? It is impossible, Shizune-hime. The only time a break is made is when someone dies. No one could possibly make it through the water without dying. The break is too fast in the coming. You'd...you'd be smashed."
"I don't want to get through the break, Yodae-san. I...have a plan!"
--
Cling! Clank! Cling clank clonk!Ruthlessly, the two exchanged blows, kunai bouncing off as they attempted to find a way past the other's guard.
"Give it up, shinobi! You're through!"
"N...Never, un!" Breaking off, they each hopped back, to come back together again in a spark of clashing iron and steel. Their movements were too fast to be seen by the myriad animals that had come out to inspect the fight. Dropping low, Deidara shot out with a right foot, aimed at his opponents mid-section. However, the Red Hand caught it, twisting his already maimed leg and causing Deidara to inadvertently scream out.
Flipping the blond over, he planted him into the ground, hands already coming up in a hand-seal. "Katon: Moeagarimasunageru no Jutsu!" The man's left hand came to his mouth, concentrating his chakra between his thumb and index fingers. Blowing out, flame erupted from the area, engulfing trees, bushes, and grass as the Red Hand outlaw sought to catch his charge off-guard.
As the flames settled, the embers licking at the edges of flammable material, the man took stock of the situation. Deidara wasn't to be seen, most likely roasted to a turn and burned into ash and cinder. "Hn. Good riddance." However, his cocky attitude quickly diminished when a hand shot up from the ground, grabbing his leg and pulling him down into the dirt. As suddenly as it had happened, a pair of legs stood in front him, and a blond set of locks looked down, a smile behind them. Deidara grunted, leaning down as he chuckled.
"You Red Hand people are all alike, you know that? Thankfully, I know quite a few people who have fire techniques. That one was highly ineffectual. So...I hope you've learned your lesson." Standing back up, Deidara turned, hearing the man's oaths and screams behind him.
"Damn you, shinobi! I will be back! Mark my words! You haven't seen the last of me!" Then, his cries stopped suddenly, to be replaced by an anguished howl. "What? What the...what the hell is this?"
His grin never left as Deidara continued on his way out of the forest, limping as best as possible with his torn up ankle. Under his breath, he began again his conversation. "That's...your going away present."
The Red Hand shinobi never heard him. All that took up his mind was the large snake that was slowly wrapping itself around his head, its long, gray tongue flickering back and forth as his cries of anguish were cut short by scaly, gritty feeling skin.
Deidara's right hand came up, and he shook his head as he concentrated. "Should have learned early on. Never mess with a shinobi's escort..."
Now, the man's head couldn't be seen, engulfed entirely within the coils of the reptile. It hissed languidly, resting its head on its own body and closing its gray orbs.
"Katsu..."
--
Shizune looked about frantically as yet another man fell victim to the technique. The remaining five guards and their captain gave her a reproachful glance, the area on which they could stand having grown distinctly smaller within a short period of time. Shizune nodded at them, positioning herself at the end of the long timber that the six guards held, Yodae having taken the lead position himself.
"Alright, everyone. When I give the signal, jam that piece of wood directly into the vortex!" The men gulped, nodding as their heads swiveled back to the water. "Alright...ready...get set...not yet..." Two of them closed their eyes...and no one noticed the small puddle of yellow liquid that had collected on the ground underneath one of them. "Now!" With a grunt and a heave, they threw their weight into the wood, slamming it home onto the swirling mass of water.
From Shizune's position, the water formed an eddy behind it, opening up slightly. Her mental map came into her vision, and she scanned the treetops for the shinobi once more.
There he was, sitting just as he had been, his flute still playing. In front of her, Yodae gave a sharp cry. The men themselves were beginning to falter. The wood was threatening to loosen, and break apart altogether. She had only a few moments left...
In the treetops, the man continued to play his flute. He was always reminded of the reasons he had joined the Red Hand to begin with. His family had been massacred in the great Shinobi War of previous years, and during his time of greatest need, his country had abandoned him, like so many others. When he had pleaded with the Water Lord to give them help, to give something back to the shinobi world that had fought so hard to protect his lands, he had cast them aside like rats, to be eaten by a world that cared nought for them. In their greatest moment of need, their own country had abandoned them, and so, he had abandoned his country.
The Red Hand believed in one country. Each shinobi nation, united under a common leader. No more would the shinobi of the world be the dogs of the country that they resided in. No. They would be the leaders. They would be the aristocrats and the higher ups. They would be the ones to call the shots. Each Lord and his manor would be thrust out of society, to feel exactly how he himself had felt during that time.
That was why he played his flute. It gave him solace. He could unleash his feelings into his music. The water itself was his rage, anger, and frustrations, taking out his vengeance on those that had shunned him.
He was Red Hand. He was a liberator! A freedom fighter! The messenger of peace!
And, even as his tune stopped...
Even as he staggered slightly, wondering where the three senbon that had buried into his throat had come...
Even as he fell from his perch in the tree, crashing through the underbrush...
Even as he hit the ground, jarring his body, cracking his ribs, and fracturing his skull...
Even as the blackness surrounded him...
Even as the blood pooled on the rocks below him, he never gave up that single thought...
I am Red Hand. I...am a liberator!
He thought this, even as he himself was liberated from the life that had been so cruel to him, and was so mercilessly taken from him.
As the waters receded, Shizune smiled, turning to the nearest guard and hugging him bodily. The man returned it, even allowing the girl to plant a small kiss on his cheek. The board dropped, the water's force low enough that it hardly moved from its position.
Shizune clapped her hands, smiling at everyone. "Good work, all of you! You did me proud!"
"Hai, Shizune-hime!" They all cheered, patting one another on the backs and congratulating those that had come out alive. Yodae grimaced slightly, nodding at his men and even giving a slight cheer himself. Blood dripped from what remained of his left arm, a good portion of it ripped apart by the water as he held up the board.
"Hai...we...we did it!" Concerned, Shizune ran to him, the water falling around her with a pitter-patter on the stones as she helped the man to the ground.
"L...Lay down, Yodae-san. Please. I'll...I'll try..." He smiled as his back was soaked through by the moisture on the ground. Laying back, he closed his eyes, gulping as a surge of fresh pain roared through him.
"Shi...Shizune-hime. I...I...I don't think...you...can help...here..." A hand placed itself on his lips, and he looked up in mild surprise. A smile graced the girls features as she placed both hands on the man's torn up appendage.
"Nonsense...I...can try..." Closing her eyes in concentration, the girl took a breath. Slowly, a bluish-green light pulsated from her hands, and in fascination, the man watched as the skin began to knit slowly back together. The blood stopped flowing as if by magic, the skin folding in upon itself.
She was panting now, her eyes shut tight against the outside world as the men that had survived watched her. The rest of Yodae's arm sewn together, the light ebbed, than stopped. With a sigh, she sat back, her legs splayed out in front of her and her arms shaking with exertion.
Yodae gave her a questioning glance, taking a moment to examine his torn up digit and move it spontaneously. "But...but how..."
"My teacher...was a shinobi...at one point. A medical shinobi. He...he taught me...many things..." Closing her eyes, the girl swayed slightly, trying to find her balance once more. The healing technique shown to her caused her more than a little discomfort, and sucked most of the energy she had. It was amazing that she had even been able to perform that little move.
"Oy! Are you guys alright, un?" Deidara, extricating himself from a bush, walked over, brushing down his coat. Shizune nodded, noticing the blood trailing from his foot.
"Hai, Deidara-kun. Are you?"
"Oh, this?" Holding up his foot, he examined it. His footpad was barely on, the bone sliced through and the tendons and cartilage ripped. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. It'll heal in time, un. Right now, I'm just glad that you guys came out...all...right..." As if noticing for the first time, Deidara took a glance down at the ground, noticing the broken bodies and pools of blood. "Oy. This...this is..."
"My men died valiantly, Deidara-kun! Rest assured, they will always be remembered to this day!" Yodae proudly stood, his left arm dangling slightly. Deidara grimaced at the appendage, but smiled just as quickly.
"Hai. Remembered, un. Always. Good men...should always be remembered..." Yoko...Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts that haunted him, Deidara continued to assess their situation. They had only five able bodied men now. Six if you gave Yodae a one-armed adversary. He himself could take on another shinobi attacker...but, only just. "Glad to see that you took out two yourselves. Wonderfully done. Especially without shinobi training, un."
Shizune blinked at him from her crouching position. "But...Deidara-kun. We...only killed one..."
Deidara's eyes went wide. He had miscounted. There were four shinobi. He had killed two. He had thought that they had killed the other two, since no one was attacking at the moment. But...how...
"You killed only one? Than...where did..." Deidara started, until his words were cut short. Stumbling forward a little, he glanced down at the kunai that was poking from his chest. Coughing, as if he could feel something in his throat, he sank to a knee, his eyelids blinking involuntarily as though he were attempting to understand the situation further.
"Deidara-kun!" Shizune lunged forward, knocking the man backwards as two more kunai zipped in.
"Damn shinobi scum! You'll pay for this!" The last enemy shinobi stood in a slight clearing, readying two more kunai to finish the job.
Shizune didn't even think about her next move. Rolling off of Deidara and onto her stomach, her right hand shot out, exposing her wrist, and a dangerous looking weapon holster. Her left hand flew to her right, and her left eye closed. Before the shinobi could react further, a hail of senbon flew through the air, catching him in the shoulder. One flew off course, piercing his throat. Gurgling, his hand flew to the offending weapon, attempting to remove it.
That was before the spear ripped apart his sternum, passing through heart and lung and ending up, quivering, in the tree behind him. He gasped, his eyes wide as he twitched on the pole, skewered to the spot. Slowly, his hand fell, and his head lolled to the side, his body propped up by the spear that had passed through him.
"I...had to get...one of those...bastards..." Yodae said, a grim a smile on his face as his right arm relaxed from the throw. However, Shizune wasn't paying attention to any of that. Bending over, she slapped Deidara's face.
"Deidara-kun! Deidara-kun! Stay...stay with me...Deidara-kun! Please...please..." Her tears began to fall, spilling onto his face and eyes. Slowly, his right eye opened, focusing on her pupil. He smiled, a small streak of blood already spilling from his half-open mouth.
"Shi...Shi...Shizune...hime..."
"Don't go, Deidara-kun...don't go..." Feebly, she attempted to lift his body, to extract the kunai from his back. "Help me! Don't just stand there! Help...help me!" The men around her nodded, still dumbstruck for the moment. Two bent down to help roll Deidara's body over, so that she could take the weapon from its lodgings. Grimacing, she took hold of the kunai, counting to three. The first attempt was marred by the blood spilling from the wound. However, she took a tighter grip, wrenching out the weapon and evoking a sharp cry of pain from Deidara's lips.
"Dei-kun...Dei-kun...please...don't die...don't...don't die..."
Deidara could barely hear her now. His vision was impaired, he could hardly see. Her blurry outline was pleading with him, that he knew. However, her voice just wasn't being picked up by his offending ears.
Is...is this what it is like...to die? Damn...I...I wanted...to...to go out...with...a bang...His eyes, glazing over, shut. He allowed himself one last smile before his head lolled to the side, his breath gone.
In a panic, Shizune gasped. Not taking time for formalities, she ripped apart his shirt, seeing the small hole that the kunai had made on the outgoing side. Placing her head on his chest, she could hear the feeble attempts of his heart trying to pump. "He's going into cardiac arrest!" Tilting his head back, she blew air down his windpipe, waiting for a moment as the air circulated about in his chest. Then, she blew another breath. Putting her hands over his heart, she began to pump as hard as possible, counting down the ticks in her mind.
"Deidara-kun! Don't...don't go! Don't...don't you go!" Relinquishing her hold, she blew another soft breath down his throat, taking time to catch her own breath before trying again.
His heart didn't seem to respond. If she couldn't help him soon...it would be too late!
--
"What...where...where am I?" He couldn't really move. His muscles responded, but it wasn't to him. Instead, Deidara found himself...floating. It wasn't a harsh feeling. More of a subtle, marshmallow effect, as if he had been drinking too much and had left his senses. Glancing about, he blinked to rid himself of the feeling, but instead of that, he felt more of the same. His vision was blurred, and it didn't help to try and think. It only fuzzed his brain.
The clouds and sky were magnificent. If he had to guess, they were the only things that he could see clearly. Soft, billowy white ivory clouds, caressing his arms, his legs, his head. He smiled, nodding knowingly to himself. "So. This is death, un. Nice."
"No, Deidara-kun. This is not death. This is the place between worlds." The voice snapped him to attention, and he glanced apprehensively at the face appearing in the haze. A kind face, a gentle demeanor. Much the same as...
"Mo...mother?"
"Ohayoo, Deidara-kun. It's been much too long." The woman stepped from the clouds, her skin shining brightly with the sun effect of light. Smiling at him, she held out her hand, taking his own and pulling him down from his position above her. Gently, he felt his feet leave the open air and grace the ground, or what could presumably be called the ground. It was all very disturbing.
"Mother. Is that really you?"
"Hai, Deidara-kun. It is I. How I have missed you." Her arms enveloped him in an embrace, and he stood like that, undecided about what to do.
"Oh...mother. I...I can't...can't..."
"Shh...hush now, Deidara-kun. It is alright. You're safe here. So safe..." They stayed like that, for almost a millenium, it felt to Deidara. He couldn't imagine being happier. Slowly, his arms wrapped themselves about her mild frame, hugging her closely to his own body. The tears began to pour unchecked as he cried. He couldn't stop himself. He had no control.
"Mo...mother..."
"Hush now. Hush..." He couldn't breath. Something was wrong. "You need not breath here. You will find that simple things like breathing, like your heart beating, are all inconsequential here. You are safe. Truly safe." She hugged him tighter, and he melted into her. "There are no enemies, here. There is no war, no strife, no anger. There is no pain, or suffering. This...is paradise."
Truly, it must be. If his mother's words were true, than the place he now resided must have been paradise. He couldn't see it any other way.
"It is paradise, mother. I'm...I'm so glad I found you. After...after being alone so long. After all that I've been through...I'm finally here...finally...with you..."
"Yes, Deidara-kun. Yes. Finally you are here. With me." She cooed softly to him, her hands stroking his hair and back. It felt wonderful, her touching him as she had when he was a little boy, when the tears were flowing and the pain welled within him. She knew how to soften the blow of life, to ebb the hatred that had been against him.
"I missed you. I missed you so much, mother."
"I know, Deidara-kun. I've been watching you. You have turned into such a fine young man. Such a good boy. Such...a good...boy..." She sniffed, kneeling. "Deidara-kun, listen to me. You cannot stay in this place. This place is not for you."
"But...but...I..."
"No, Deidara-kun. This is not the place that you need be in. Not yet. Soon, perhaps. But not now. There are things you must do yet. Things...things that you haven't done and have left undone still." He sniffed back a sob, trying to understand.
"Mo...mother...I...want to stay."
"Deidara-kun?" Another voice cut through the silence, and he turned to address the newcomer.
"Yo...Yoko-chan?"
"Ohayoo, Deidara-kun! What...what are you doing here?" The girl blinked at him, walking up to take his hand. "Oh...you're cold, Deidara-kun. Did you...die?"
"No, Yoko-chan. Deidara-kun hasn't died yet. This is merely a transition." His mother took his hand again, clasping it and turning him about. "Deidara-kun, go back to the world you know. Go back to life. You have more to do."
"But. I...I don't want to."
"It matters not what you want to do. Your life is a plan, and that plan has not been fulfilled as of yet. You have more to do."
"Deidara-kun. Listen...listen to Amaya-baa-chan. Go back." Yoko smiled up at him, grabbing his hand and bringing him down to her level. "Oh, and give Bushio-kun my love, will you?" She brought him close, giving him a peck on the cheek. "For Bushio-kun...and you. Thank you for your friendship."
"But. But I let you down, Yoko-chan. How can you be so kind to me?"
"You didn't let me down, Deidara-kun. I let myself down. But, I was stronger than I thought I was! Here I am, ne?" Still smiling, she gave him a half-hearted push. "Now, get back down there. I don't want to see one of my teammates for at least another hundred years, you got it?"
Deidara smiled, chuckling slightly as he was enveloped in another hug. "Go now, Deidara-kun. Go back to those that love you and cherish you. You have much to do, and little time to do it in."
"Mother. When...when will I see you again?" For a time, she didn't answer, as if contemplating the result of her decision. Then, she held him back aways, smiling.
"In time. You will see me again...in time. But for now, you have much to do. So much...my little man...so much to do..." She took a step back, and he gasped, attempting to take a step forward.
"Mother!"
"Goodbye, Deidara-kun! Goodbye. I will always love you!"
"Mother!!"
"Bye, Dei! Have fun! Tell Bushio-kun I love him, alright?"
"Mother! Yoko-chan!"
"Goodbye...Deidara...kun..."
--
"Deidara-kun! Breath! Breath, damn it!" Deidara felt two hands thrust into his chest, and he coughed, his eyes shooting open as he sat up, ejecting phlegm and bile from his lungs. Horrified, his hand thrust to his chest, feeling where the wound was. But...it wasn't there.
"What...what happened? Who? Where...how?" He glanced up at an apprehensive Yodae, who knelt beside him.
"Deidara-kun. Glad to see you are still part of the living. Good to see you again, boy." Shaking his head, the man stood, reaching down and picking the blond up and onto his feet. Deidara gained his equilibrium, staggering slightly as his head rocked.
"Oh...my head, un."
"Ah. Yeah, sorry about that. Couldn't move you. Seems your head is as hard as an ox's ass, though. Hahaha!" The man gave his shoulder a slap, one that made him cringe. Apologetically, Yodae backed off, raising his hands. "Oh! Sorry 'bout that. Shizune-hime said that if you did manage to wake up, you'd be in pain."
"Shizune...hime said? Wait...where is..." Deidara began, questioning the guard. Yodae simply nodded to where two of his guards were standing watch over a prone form, lying on a small bullock of grass. At the questioning glance he got, Yodae nodded.
"Seems our young Shizune-hime knows more than meets the eye. She fixed up that hole in your chest, and half-way fixed your foot! Brought you back to life to, it seems. Fancy that." Taking a look at the carnage that was still strewn about on the road, Yodae sighed. "Lost good men here. Really good men. But, at least I won't have to count one more in the list of casualties." Taking the blonds hand, Yodae led him to a fire. "Come now, Deidara-kun. You look like you've seen a ghost. Let's get you some food, see if we can't put that twinkle in your eye again, hm?"
At the present moment, Deidara didn't really feel like eating. But, it was a reasonable suggestion. Shrugging, the man let himself be led over to a fire, where the remaining guards were sitting huddled about, licking their own injuries. "Hai, I'll do that, un. Thank you, Yodae."
"Don't be thanking me just yet, Deidara-kun. The girl said that you may not be able to stomach food for a while. Something about the hazard of chakra depletion and chakra absorption or something." That was news to Deidara, who blinked, looking back at where Shizune lay.
"Wait. So...Shizune-hime knows how to use chakra?"
The Captain grunted. "Apparently. Honestly, I don't know how she does it. Took out the guy in the tree, and took out the guy that hit you with that kunai. She's a regular shinobi already. Don't know how her father never figured that out."
Deidara could only shrug. "I'm a shinobi as well..." Leaving the statement hanging, he sat down, allowing the fire to heat his bones and mend his spirit.
I don't know why I never figured that out either.
--
Next Chapter: They are almost there. Shizune feels more than apprehensive about meeting her future husband for the first time, and Deidara feels more than nervous about what has transpired between them in the past couple days. The two have a heart to heart talk, and perhaps...something else? But, who is it that watches over them? Someone with evil intentions see's all, and is up to no good! Next time, on Deidara's Story. Moonlight Reconnaissance!
A/N: Wow, I'm kind of ashamed that I didn't post the next chapter sooner. I let yall hang for too long. Therefore, this chapter is over 9k words, just for you all! Mostly to say I'm sorry. Haha! So...yeah.
Jutsu's used:
Doton: Tsuchiwana Tojikomemasu no Jutsu – Earth Release: Earthen Trap of Sealing Technique
Suiton: Odorimasu Senritsu Riguretto no Jutsu – Water Release: Dancing Melody of Regret Technique
Katon: Moeagarimasunageru no Jutsu – Fire Release: Flamethrower Technique