A/N: Chapter Thirteen! I'm writing this chapter on my new computer, whom I've named Selendrile! Don't ask, my friends and I just name some of our stuff. ; Well, this chapter is gonna be longer than the last one, I promise! I think that everyone is going to end up visiting Zabuza and Haku's graves. I'm considering giving Tsume-chan Zabuza's sword, or having her need to take it to defend herself. What do you think? I really value the input of my readers, and I thank all of you for reading and reviewing! Oh and in this chapter, I'm going to reveal another secret about Tsume, something given to her by Aki-oba-chan. And, I want to send a BIGthanks to Aneamero for her wonderful message! You understand Tsume so well, and you really think about things. And your offer to draw Tsume-chan is truly appreciated. I'm working on a picture of her, but it doesn't look right. I can't wait to see if you can show me some sketches! And now, IKU ZE!
UNSPOKEN
Tsume blinked, looking from side to side. All she could see were trees; there was no trace of the town, or the inn that Deidara had managed to damage. As Kisame removed his arm and stepped back from Tsume, the young woman looked up at the shark-nin, her eyes questioning.
"Transport Jutsu," Kisame said unhelpfully. "We didn't need to attract any more attention then Deidara already had, so we left."
Looking away, Tsume furrowed her brows, resisting the urge to scowl at Kisame. "'Transport Jutsu'?" she though. "It doesn't make any—oh why am I surprised? Kisame is a shinobi. I shouldn't be surprised at anything he can do." And then a small, hopeful smile curved Tsume's lips. "Maybe I'll be able to do something like that one day. Then I'll really be able to help Kisame-sama . . ."
Suddenly a large hand descended on Tsume's head, ruffling her hair. "Don't get excited, onna," Kisame's voice said above her. "You're still a first-level ninja; a genin." Tsume made a face where Kisame couldn't see. She didn't know much about shinobi, since she hadn't lived in a ninja village, and she had never met any other ninja to know much about how they were ranked. But, knowing that Kisame was right, Tsume nodded beneath his hand.
"We head east," Itachi's voice said ahead. The others reacted instantly, donning their conical straw hats and starting to walk eastward. In turn, Tsume pulled up her hood. After making sure that the clay puppy, whom she had named Iu-chan, was safe in the front pocket of her backpack, Tsume fell into step beside Kisame, doing the best that she could to keep up with his long stride. He must have noticed, because he grinned, and slowed slightly, moving so that Tsume could walk ahead of him. She smiled and nodded her thanks.
They continued walking through the trees, the air moist but not too humid. Tsume could smell rain on the air, and smiled to herself. She had always liked the rain; it washed away everything, a symbol of new beginnings and fresh starts. It was so for Tsume's life. With one fateful encounter, her life had changed forever, and hopefully for the better. Power came to Tsume's steps and she lifted her head. Her confidence in herself was not what it once had been. She could believe in herself now. Tsume glanced up at the sky, and sent a silent prayer to the heavens, thanking it for the rain. But then she pulled her mind back to earth, focusing instead on where she was walking.
She could hear the sounds of birds as they walked, and not long after they had begun, the sun came through the clouds, though the scent of rain remained in the air. Tsume let her hood fall back, though Kisame, Deidara, Itachi, and Tobi all kept their hats on. They walked in silence, with only the sounds of their footsteps and the calls of the birds to brake the quiet. It was relaxing to Tsume after the morning's beginning, and she smiled softly at the memory, making a mental note never to wake Deidara up too early.
UNSPOKEN
The sun was high, light streaming down through the trees. They now walked north-east along a wide trail, something obviously used by travelers and merchants. Tsume walked in the middle of the others, eyes taking in the sights as she walked. She'd never traveled, and this was the first time that she had ever been to Kirigakure. She loved the smell of the air, and the sound of the thriving wildlife that surrounded her. It was beautiful, and it gave Tsume a reason to smile, a gift the world didn't know the magnitude of.
Kisame watched Tsume as she walked, wondering at the innocent smile on her face. She knew full well the kind of people that she was traveling with, and yet she smiled. How she could be so accepting was a mystery to Kisame. And her attitude towards him was even more perplexing. When she had been scared of him, she had simply been scared of what he could do, of his abilities. Most people who saw him were scared because of what he looked like; his shark-like appearance didn't seem to bother Tsume in the least. And when she had seen Deidara's hands, she had merely been surprised, not scared. Kisame personally found the artist's Kekkei Genkai a bit creepy. Kisame found himself smiling slightly. Tsume was genuinely kind person, with no true malice in her. Why someone like that would want to stay with him and Itachi was completely beyond Kisame.
Kisame sighed behind his collar. "Bah! I'll never understand the female mind," he thought. Then he made a face. "Not that any man ever will."
Deidara slowed slightly until he was walking beside Tsume. "Are you alright, un?" he asked, sounding slightly worried. "My bomb didn't hurt you, un?" Tsume smiled at Deidara, and shook her head. She'd been more startled than anything by the explosion. Other than what had happened after Kisame had caught her, Tsume was perfectly fine. She nodded again to reassure Deidara. Deidara returned the smile. "That's good, un," he said. Then he lowered his voice and leaned in to whisper in Tsume's ear. "If you had gotten hurt," he added softly, "then Kisame never would have forgiven me, un." Deidara drew back and smiled again. "He really likes you, un. He's just a big sof—" Deidara was silenced as the flat of Samehada's unique blade hit him on the head. Deidara collapsed, groaning.
Itachi kept walking, Tobi rushed to his partner's side, and Tsume looked from one to the other in confusion. Kisame stepped calmly over Deidara, put his arm around Tsume's shoulders, and steered her ahead. Tsume couldn't help but look over her shoulder. Tobi had helped Deidara to his feet, and was currently restraining the artist from throwing something explosive at Kisame.
"You'll hurt Tsu-chan!" Tobi protested.
"Not if I'm careful, un," Deidara said as he struggled, a manic grin on his face. Tsume couldn't help but realized that Deidara's beautiful golden hair was horribly mussed on the top, sticking up in almost every direction.
"At least the bandages were on Kisame-sama's sword," Tsume thought as she turned away and continued walking. "He'd have lost the top of head if it hadn't."
Then Kisame's voice interrupted Tsume's thoughts. "Don't you listen to that mad bomber of an artist, onna," he said, not looking at her. "I'm an evil, deadly shinobi."
Tsume smiled at Kisame's defense of himself, thinking in the back of her mind that it was rather cute. But she knew that Kisame was right. He was a deadly shinobi. But evil? She wasn't so sure about that. Would someone evil help her in the way that Kisame had? Tsume didn't think so, but her respect of Kisame was never any less. She knew that he could easily kill anyone he pleased, save for perhaps Itachi, but he was still unbelievably strong. And Tsume could only hope that someday she could be that strong. If she could be that strong, then she would never be useless again. She could help Kisame and she would matter.
UNSPOKEN
It was late in the afternoon when they came upon the two graves, set upon the side of the road with wooden crosses to serve as markers. The first grave had a striped sash wrapped around it, and a small sparrow lit on one arm of the cross, looking at Tsume before flying away. But on the other grave, the cross was nothing but two sticks in comparison to the object that was stabbed into the earth just behind it. A massive sword, huge in both length and width, stood up proudly from the earth, its blade still shining in the sun, seemingly immune to the elements.
Only Tsume and Kisame stopped to look at the graves. Tsume stepped away from Kisame, walking over and kneeling down before the graves, head bent and hands clasped in prayer. Kisame remained where he was, staring at the sword with an unreadable expression on his stern face. Seeing Kisame as he was, the others stopped walking, and Deidara let up on his attempt to blow the shark-nin to bits. As Tsume prayed, she let her mind focus on the graves, seeking out the spirits of those buried there as Aki-obaa-chan—the woman who had saved Tsume's live when Tsume was only a child—had taught her. Slowly, images began to form in Tsume's mind. First, that of a man, one in his mid to late twenties, his eyes and hair dark. The bottom of his face was shielded by bandages, and the large sword was worn across his back. Next, Tsume saw a young man, who couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. He wore odd clothing, the sash on his grave tied around his waist. He had kind brown eyes, and black hair pulled back on top of his head.
Delving deeper, but always keeping a grip on reality, Tsume saw into the spirits' hearts. She felt tears sting her eyes at the emotion she found. Pure devotion. Determination. Sadness. She could feel the bond between the two spirits, and she felt her heart clench at the pain they had suffered. She knew why they had been buried together, and she was happy that they had; it would have caused them such suffering to be apart. As it always was, Tsume wished that she could bring the spirits back, so that they could be alive and live together in the happiness that they had so longed for. But she knew that she could not. The dead could not be in the realm of the living. Once their lives ended, they could never live those lives again, they were done.
Tsume breathed the names of the two spirits, tears leaking from beneath her closed lids to run down her cheeks. "Zabuza . . . Haku . . ." And then it was over. Tsume pulled herself back, shaking off the feelings of the spirits and settling back into her own body and mind. She felt the ache of fatigue pulling at her, and she struggled to stay awake. She knew that she shouldn't do what she had done, but she couldn't help herself.
"So I heard right," Kisame's voice said from behind Tsume. "Zabuza did die. And that boy who protected him. Haku. I can't say that I'm surprised. Zabuza always did for strong bonds. They were few, but they were strong, nearly unbreakable. No wonder the boy died for him." Slowly, Tsume rose up, and turned back to Kisame. She lifted her head, and he saw the tears in her eyes, the anguish shining in the amber depths. "Tsume?" he asked, sudden worry in is usually gruff voice. "Did—did you know them?" Tsume shook her head, and turned back to the graves. She reached out, touching first the scarf of the boy named Haku, and then the hilt of the sword that had belonged to the man, Zabuza. Tingles ran through her as she touched them, soft sparks that skittered across her nerve-endings. Drawing back her hands, Tsume let them fall back to her sides. Then she turned away again, and walked back to Kisame's side, avoiding his gaze. Without another word, Itachi started walking again, and they all followed him in silence.
As they reached a bend in the road, Tsume spared one last look back at the graves. "May the lives you are living now be ones of happiness, and may you be together."
UNSPOKEN
They stopped and made camp in a clearing about thirty meters away from the graves, setting up a small fire in the middle of the clearing where Tobi cooked rice and noodles in small pots that he hung over the fire. Deidara had somehow acquired five bedrolls, and he handed one to his companions and Tsume. She thanked him with a small bow, and gave him an apologetic look after glancing at Kisame. Deidara simply shook his head, waving off Tsume's silent apology.
Tsume carried her bedroll back to the edge of the clearing where Kisame sat, Samehada leaned against a tree next to him. Kisame himself had his back against another tree, eyes closed. His cloak hung about his shoulders, the sleeves empty and his arms folded in his lap. His bedroll, still rolled up, sat to his left, and he made no signs of setting it up. Tsume set down her own bedroll, and put her backpack beside it. She walked over to Kisame's left side, kneeling down and touching his knee lightly. Kisame opened his eyes and Tsume gestured towards his bedroll, silently offering to lay it out for him.
Kisame shook his head. "No thanks, onna," he said. Tsume nodded and went to lay out her own bedroll. "And the sleeping is arrangement staying the same," Kisame reminded her. Tsume blushed, but instead turned to her backpack, pulling out her sleeping dress.
After a nod from Kisame, she moved back into the shadowed bushes to change, coming out with her day clothes folded over her arm. After stowing them and her jacket in her backpack, Tsume pulled out the clay puppy, Iu-chan. Smiling, she set him on the ground, crossing her own legs under her. Iu-chan wagged his tail and leaped up onto her lap, running up and down her legs happily as she watched him with a beaming smile and happy eyes. Kisame gave a half smile of his own when he saw how happy the small creature made Tsume. After all, what harm could the little thing do?
After a short while, Tsume lifted up Iu-chan to her eye-level. She let him nuzzle her nose, and then looked into his eyes, silently telling him something. The little clay dog gave a small nod, and promptly curled up in Tsume's palms and fell asleep. Tsume gave Iu-chan a small kiss on the head, and then put him back into the front pocket of her backpack. Then she yawned, and looked to Kisame with tired eyes. He nodded, and opened his arms. Tsume walked over and settled herself down in Kisame's lap, sitting cross-wise with her feet braced against his right thigh. Kisame wrapped his arms around her, adjusting himself so that both he and Tsume could sleep comfortably.
Tsume closed her eyes, and leaned her head against Kisame's chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was such a strong, steady, comforting sound. She smiled, and found herself resisting the urge to plant a soft kiss against the shark-nin's skin through his fish-net shirt. She blushed at the thought, and settled for nuzzling her cheek against his chest as sleep began to overtake her.
UNSPOKEN
Tsume awoke with a hand pressed over her mouth, and her arms and legs bound tightly with rough cord. Her hands and feet were numb from the tightness, and when she tried to struggle, she felt the cold edge of a knife press against her throat. The feeling was all too familiar. There was a rough cloth tied over her eyes as a blindfold, but nothing covered her mouth; her captors must have realized that she couldn't speak. The knife teased her skin, drawing a small drop of blood.
"Awake, onna?" The word sounded so crude and harsh when it wasn't Kisame speaking. Tsume clenched her teeth but did not move. She was lying prone on dry, rocky earth, sharp stones digging into her body. Anger bubbled up in her mind, and her bound hands clenched into fists. The knife was pulled away with a low cruel chuckle. "Not even fighting," a man's voice laughed; Tsume could only sense one person. "Quite the catch you are, onna. And being a mute is just a bonus for me." The man moved, and Tsume could feel him bend over her. Suddenly, the bonds on her feet were cut; Tsume's stomach twisted as she realized the purpose. There was a hand on her hip, pulling at her dress. Legs on either side of her body.
"No." Tsume lashed out with all the strength that she could muster, bringing both knees up and slamming them into the man's chest, driving the air from his lungs and throwing him back. As he was thrown, the man grasped for something. His hand caught Tsume's blindfold, yanking her upright, and at the same time, pulling the blind fold away from her eyes. Thanking the Powers That Be that her eyes adjusted quickly to light changes, Tsume shoved the man away and shot to her feet.
She whirled around, tearing off into the bushes and trees aimlessly. Part of her wanted to stay and beat the man further, but she was too sensible for that. She ran, ignoring the branches that caught at her. Suddenly, the ground gave out beneath her, and she was falling. She cursed, realizing that she had ran right over the brush-hidden edge of a cliff. Then she hit a slope, body battered by gravel and stones. Tears of pain burned in her eyes as she kept them shut against the stones and gravel. And then she wasn't falling anymore, the ground was level. As quickly as she could, Tsume got to her feet. She looked around carefully this time, taking stock of her surroundings before making another move. Her body ached with bruises and cuts from her fall, and her head was spinning.
"I know this place!" Tsume realized in excitement. She was back on the trail that the graves were on. The same trail that led to the camp that she had been taken from. Tsume knew that Kisame and the others would be looking for her; at least she hoped that they were. They wouldn't be easily duped by whoever had taken Tsume. The man must have entered the camp silently and made it seem as if Tsume was rising from Kisame's arms on her own; perhaps to relieve herself in the woods. Tsume paused a moment; should she go back to the camp? She only questioned that option because of a sudden nagging sensation that had entered the back of her mind.
Zabuza's sword was calling to her. It was calling out in the night, the echoing voice of Haku's sash coming with it. It was absurd; inanimate objects didn't call out! But Tsume couldn't deny that she felt herself being pulled to the right, towards the graves. It was similar to the pull Tsume felt when she reached out towards the spirits of the departed, just as she had yesterday. But this call, this pull, was much, much greater. It had to be obeyed, and Tsume couldn't resist it. And, in a way, she didn't want to resist it.
Without another moment of thought, Tsume turned her body towards the right and started running again. Air burned in her tired lungs as she ran, hands still bound behind her. She could hear the man now, recovered from her blow. He was still far off, but he was following all the same. And he was gaining. Cursing, Tsume forced her body to go faster. Faster and faster until she saw the dark silhouettes of the graves. The calling was almost like a yell in her mind now, and Tsume could feel the pull with her entire body. She slowed when she came before the gave that belonged to the boy, Haku. The calling from his sash was soft, strangely in harmony with the strong and demanding call of the tall sword.
Tsume bowed her head to the boy's grave, and then stepped towards Zabuza's grave. The call was a roar in her ears now. She strained at the cord that bound her hands, it would not budge. Moving calmly, she stepped around so that her back faced the gleaming edge of the blade. She pressed the cord against the edge, and it was severed with frightening ease. Tsume felt as if her body was following instructions from someone else, but it was someone that she trusted, someone kind that Tsume knew would not harm her. Her hands now free, Tsume reached out and gently lifted the sash from around the cross. Like the sword, it too seemed to be immune to the elements. It was soft as Tsume brought it over and tied it around the hilt of the sword.
"You'll pay for that, onna!"
Tsume, hands till entwined with the sash and sword hilt, jerked her head up at the voice, seeing for the first time the man who had captured her. His skin was pale like hers, but it was a sickly pale with an almost yellow tinge. His black mop of hair looked greasy in the little light from the stars and moon, and his gray eyes gazed at Tsume with loathing and anger. Tsume could see that he had a short sword in her hand, but the weapon looked like a mere splinter of metal in comparison to the blade Tsume had in her own hands.
Again, Tsume felt as if she was no longer in control of her own body. Her hands tightened on the hilt of the sword. Her muscles strained and rippled under her skin as she hauled the sword from the earth, movements slow and measured as she brought the sword up to point it at the man. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the sword, the sash somehow wrapped around her wrists and arms. She could feel the sword and sash as if they were alive; sentient beings guiding her in battle. Tsume had never felt such strength, such power. It threatened to overtake her, to turn her into something she was not. But the sash's energy—Haku's energy—it pulled her back, keeping her herself.
The expression the man had on his face was now quite different. Instead of loathing, there was confusion, and instead of anger, there was fear. Tsume stood perfectly still, the sword mirroring her calm. Before, her muscles had been tensed and straining to hold up the sword, but suddenly the huge weapon felt as light as any kunai. Still in the same dream-like state, Tsume lunged forward.
UNSPOKEN
A/N: (dodges flying objects) I'm sorry! I couldn't help but do a cliffhanger. Now, I know, Tsume is getting all super ninja-y, but it's not gonna last. It isn't' her own strength she's using to hold the sword. Oh, and the thing with the spirits. Aki-oba-chan was kinda like a priestess/healer person. She taught Tsume how to sense spirits, but that's it. Please don't kill me for the cliffhanger, I'm really sorry.