Part 20 The Femi-man Club Begns

My leg gave a painful twinge as I fell to the ground as it gave way. She had been right that I may not have been in a fit state to fight. I didn't know why but suddenly I felt pain in my leg. I had seemed that I'd inadvertently blocked out the pain somehow. I sat there breathing it the horrible stench of the smoke. I tried to think, clear my head but I couldn't, I coughed and spluttered as I was scorched by the flames flaring at me like giant claws. I saw a bird fly over head; I had seen it before...but where? I remembered all too soon and just slid my hands along the ground and lay there watching the bird fly back towards Hoshigakure. I wasn't going to let my village where I grew up be subjected to a mass slaughtering although I hoped the cut on Makaiko's leg was from Amaterasu, that meant poison and she wouldn't last much longer. I stood up and made my lonely way back to Hoshigakure. I didn't feel like telling the Hoshikage anything yet, my mind was in a depressive state, it had been ground into a mush. I leaned against a blossom tree by the river. I saw a few moments later a massive clay bird land in the grave yard, I could make out three figures, one I knew, one I knew from sight and the other I had no clue about. The clay bird vanished in a puff of smoke and I saw Makaiko by my family's graves, why did she even bother to visit them? I pressed myself against the trunk and in to the shadows as the two men walked passed. One was tall, and had blonde hair in a high ponytail and a fringe. The other was also tall but seemed to be wearing a spiralling orange mask. Both donned big black cloaks patterned with red clouds, it seemed to be some kind of uniform, mass murderers wearing uniforms?! Seems odd. After they'd passed I crept up to the cemetery and slunk in between the graves winding my way towards Makaiko. I considered briefly attacking her; mind you she was the only person I had left. Sachiyo... gone, my mother... gone, my father... gone, Katsou... gone, Amaterasu... gone, Raiden-sensei... gone and Gaara was gone too. All I had left was being with a demon who hated me as much as I hated her and probably become a missing-nin, again. I finally arrived just behind her and stopped, she hadn't noticed me, or had she? She was stood in front of Sachiyo's grave, her head bowed. Then she turned around slowly and looked up at me, she looked shocked to see me standing there,
"Keitii."
"Makaiko."
We stared at each other, she looked in a bad way for once in her life and I knew I mustn't look any better. She whipped round to face the grave,
"As I was saying my bruv, like peace out man and hope y'all's happy in that big place in da sky yo," I shook my head wearily, why was she doing this? Did she enjoy reminding me of it?
"What the hell are you doing?" I asked tiredly.
"I is prayin to yo bruver, man." She grinned, saying all this in a very strange way. I stood beside her looking at the grave wishing it was all a nightmare,
"Why do you look so well?" I inquired, "Poison should've killed you," Amaterasu never forgot,
"Ah, don't say that my friend," she changed back to Makaiko and wrapped my arm around my shoulders, leaning on me, "We can work things out. Besides, I'm all you've got left. Sad, right?" yes it was sad but I didn't really want anyone's pity right now.
"Yes." I said,
"Did you just read my mind?" Makaiko asked,
"No," I smirked, because as we all know, "That'd be stupid."
"...Of course."
"Yeah..." I whispered with shifty looking eyes. Makaiko sighed and slumped on to the ground, I sat down gingerly, I had to stick my leg out which was a tad painful at this moment in time. I'd suffered worse.
"I hate my life," Makaiko wailed, personally I thought I was the only one who could complain about this predicament,
"Heh, at this moment in time your life is looking pretty preferable to mine." I replied sadly, I gazed down at the inscription on my brother's grave. I reached out and felt the cool smoothness of marble and stone, tracing Sachiyo's inscription. I felt my insides tremble, and a lump rise in my throat. I turned my head away quickly trying to stop the tears, trying to be strong and not to show Makaiko I was weak. Even though I missed him every single second of the day. Why couldn't it have been me?! I thought angrily. The tears fell on to the grass and grave, glistening and shimmering droplets that splashed down with a soft patter. I was surprised Makaiko hadn't tried to kill me or tease me about my weakness yet.

Makaiko coughed, it wasn't a cough to break the silence either. I wiped the tears on my sleeve and I turned to face her. She was examining her hand which had some unknown substance mixed with blood. The wind picked up and she shivered, it was very cold in Hoshigakure at times.
"Wish they'd hurry up."
"Those two men?" I inquired,
"Yeah, them two," she glanced down the path,
I eyed her out of the corner of my eye, I wanted to know which one had been responsible for Gaara's death, "Which one is Deidara?"
She looked at me out of the corner of her eye also, "Blond one." She replied promptly.
"Makaiko-san, what was that...that thing that attacked me?" I remembered that black beast like thing back in the forest that had seemed to blend in with shadows and sucked the light in.
"The closest thing I've got to a mother." she said, "The rest of the pack are like my family. My real family are mostly dead. Some are alive, but only some..." I frowned she'd never mentioned her family; I knew she was a demon but I had never met her family. She'd mainly stayed at the Hoshikage manor with me when we were younger,
"Tell me about your family." I said wearily, it seemed to be a bit of a touchy subject with her.
"Why?"
"You never did talk about them before."
"For a good reason."
"What was that?"
"It made me sad..." she looked up at the downcast sky. The wind blew through the graves and swirled around the two of us. We were both alone, in the cemetery among the remnants of my family and many of my village, people I'd loved who'd gone. Makaiko relaxed, but she still hadn't told me about her family so I didn't press the subject. Sachiyo had thought of her as a little sister, she was at our house a lot and she seemed to almost understand me. She also had worked out what my father had done and she tried her best to comfort me even when I refused point blank that there was anything wrong.
"I wish Deidara would hurry up." she said grumpily,
"What have you sent them off to do?" I hoped they weren't about to destroy the village,
"Go to Ameterasu's house to find the antidote,"
"They wont find it," she knew how to make it but only made one antidote, but luckily I had carried some on me in case something went wrong on a mission,
"Why not?"
"She only ever made one antidote,"
"Which is where?"
"In my pocket." she turned to look at me, I didn't look at her considering letting her die slowly, but then again I had killed people on missions but I wasn't an S-rank. I looked at Sachiyo's name engraved in to the grave and I knew that I was mad at Makaiko for killing my friends, but had they even liked me really? I knew Sachiyo wouldn't have wanted me to turn in to a cold blooded killer.
"Why did you only just tell me? Do you want me to die like this?"
"No...I want you to pay for what you've done. But I don't want you to be disgraced by dying in this manner. Besides," I searched my pockets for the antidote and pulled it out, "Ameterasu's poison is too good for a demon like you."
She grinned as she took the antidote off me. She pulled the top of and warily eyed the needle. She made a whining noise as a little liquid spurted out of the top. She really was a whimp sometimes,
"Don't be such a baby!" I said angrily as I yanked it off her and stabbed her in the leg with it. It felt much better to cause her even a little pain; she yelped in surprise and toppled back off the tomb. I sniggered as she got up, glaring at me, I was unaffected, I was the master of evil glares, "You never did like needles." I smirked,
"Hey, it's a perfectly normal phobia. Some people hate needles, some people hate spiders, some people have a phobia of walking but it don't matter. You have a phobia of going on boats," so much swaying fearing the boat would sink over shark infested water and I would die slowly being deprived of oxygen being dragged down in to a dark abyss
"But you also hate water." I chipped in, terrified she was and she always seem to lose all her energy.
"I have good reason too." she sneered. She stood and stretched, "I gotta hand it to Amaterasu, she had a gift,"
I mumbled about how she was until she killed her. Makaiko frowned. We both turned our heads as two people appeared next to us. "We couldn't find the antidote." A tall, what I assumed was a man, who wore a swirled orange mask and wore a full black outfit,
"It's alright, Keitii gave me the antidote." Deidara walked over to her and wrapped his arms around Makaiko. He rested his chin on her head and looked at me. I gazed in to his eyes trying to read his murderous mind to find out what had happened to Gaara,
"How do you know that she gave you the right antidote, hmm?" oh no he didn't, (add weird head and clicking movements if you wish)
"What are you insinuating, precisely?" I glared at Deidara. He was unaffected, and instead glared back, I scowled. That bastard had killed Gaara; I would never forgive him for what he did.
"You might have given her another poison, yeah,"
"You lot are the S-Ranks here, not me," I snarled, hatred for this blonde (rather feminine looking man), crept through my veins like red hot venom, "Please don't insult me by judging me by your pathetic standards. You're all nothing but scum." I turned away, back to looking at Sachiyo's name wishing he would be there again even if I was going mad.
"Upset my friend why don't you?"
"What was that for un?"
"Err..." I gritted my teeth to hold back the torrent of fury and spite, I wished I could've been able to tell Gaara how I'd felt and maybe we might have been more? Who am kidding? This bloke killed him and I resented him for that fact and his village attacked mine killing my family.
"You two stop it." I snapped, "Not in front of my family please." They didn't want to see these two having a sloppy make out session.
They muttered complaints. 'Yeah that's right. Listen to meh! I rule!'

"Let's get going then, hmm." Deidara began to drag Makaiko off, well now I really was going to be alone, what was I going to do?
"Wait." she tugged her hand out of his and ran back to me. She sat next to me on the tombstone and looked me straight in the eye. I wondered what she was up too, until she held both my hands in hers and swung them up and down in front of us both.
"Ne, Keitii-chan?" so I was still her friend then, I knew she realised she'd destroyed some of my life but she was trying to make amense,
"...What is it?" I asked carefully, eyeing her suspiciously,
"Can I go to your wedding?"
"...Uh...sure?"
"Can I be your bridesmaid?"
"Yes..."
"That's great news!" she chirped.
"...Yes..." I was highly confused, how random? Or did she know something I didn't? But as we all know reading minds and predicting the future would just be plain stupid,
"Also, do you want to come with us?"
"Huh?" I said, I wondered how the femi-man felt about this,
"Huh?!" Deidara said.
"Tobi thinks Deidara's girlfriend is mad."
"Deidara's girlfriend thinks you should shut up now," she said sweetly, so they were dating, wow Makaiko cared for a guy, amazing.
"Tobi thinks he should listen..." Tobi said fearfully.
"Tobi's a good boy then," she turned back to face me, "Whad'ya say?" I weighed up the chances of me getting killed on this journey and then what other life I had,
"Why do you want me to come with you?" I asked confused,
"Yeah, why do you want her to come with us, yeah?" Deidara asked, more confused than me which is pretty amazing,
"She's my best friend that's why." Makaiko stated simply, awaiting my answer, "Because of this I trust that before she even attempts to double cross us she'll consider the friendship we had and the friendship I'm trying to strengthen once more. Although I understand how she feels about me at this moment in time," too bloody right! I pondered a moment about how I was actually considering making Makaiko pay,
"Err, yeah sure I wasn't going to double cross you."
"Great!"
"Honestly, un, couldn't one so associated with sarcasm catch the sarcasm dripping off of her tongue yeah?!" She looked innocently confused,
"Nyuu..."
"I'll go with you guys, sure." I stood up and began to dust the dirt of her clothes. Makaiko grinned and tugged me along, she had a tight hold on me, Deidara groaned and trudged along after us while Tobi started to whistle a happy tune.
"Shut up, Tobi!" Deidara yelled after a moment or two,
"But Deidara-senpai..."
"Just shut up, yeah." Deidara hissed angrily,
"I don't think he wants me to come along," I said looking over my shoulder at the bickering Tobi and Deidara, I felt a bit alone. I knew this feeling would intensify because they all knew each other and I only knew Makaiko and as far as I was concerned they were totally different from me,
"He doesn't," she stated, "But he'll live. Besides, I need the female company, Deidara doesn't count," I sniggered away and walked into the bird, although it looked soft, it wasn't as soft as it looked "Ooof!" Makaiko looked down at me smirking
"Well done." She started to clap my hands together very slowly.
"Not my fault." I mumbled,
"Funny, you walk into less things when you're pissed off your head," she turned to face Deidara, "We need a new bird, this one has an imprint of Keitii's fat head in it," well she was the big headed one!
"Oi!"
"'Tis true," she shrugged. Deidara shook his head and reached in to a pouch his side
"What shall I do with this one, hmm?"
"Leave it." I said, what else could he do with it?
"Take it with us and bomb someone with it en route to wherever we're going," she said, she planned on killing more innocent people?!
"Good idea, un." Deidara grinned. I was horrified at how they could laugh about things like this. As I said they're completely different to me,
"You're going to bomb some innocent people?!"
"Yeah, don't wimp out on us. You do it nearly all the time as a shinobi." It was true but-
"But that's my job!"
"Still taking life away, I see no difference." Well when she put it like that I was kind of the same, just I didn't do it for fun,
Deidara finished moulding the clay and performed the hand signs required. A puff of smoke and a giant clay bird was standing next to us. It was ginormous! The other one looked like an ant compared to this big beasty thing. Deidara must have made it bigger to seat us all.
"How much more chakra will you have to use to keep it airborne, Deidara?"
Deidara looked up at his 'creation' then, jumping up onto it's back, he turned and said, "Not too much more, un. Besides, this is just for getting us over that fire of yours. We can't go through it can we?"
"I'm sure if we tried we could." She said flatly, and jumped up next to Deidara. I followed and the bird spread it's wings. Tobi leapt onto the bird.