My Pain is Yours
Chapter 17: Duties of a Medic Nin
Shinsei's jaw hung open, eyes flooding with light.
"Y-you saw Aiko?"
The redhead sat attentively in front of Itachi, her hands in his, closed between her knees. Kisame chuckled stridently at her sudden reaction and dropped into a vacant seat at the table alongside Itachi. Shinsei gaped frenetically from Itachi to Kisame, evidently desiring more information. However, when Itachi sighed despondently, Shinsei deduced that something was amiss.
Tilting her head pryingly to the side, Shinsei hastily questioned, "Well, how is she? Those two Akatsuki members, Hidan and Kakuzu, they aren't treating her badly are they?" Kisame didn't counter her query, for once, and unexpectedly rose from the table, announcing that he was getting tea. This propelled anxiety coursing through Shinsei, inciting impending worry, and she turned her frantic gaze to Itachi. "Well? What's wrong with Aiko?"
Hesitating, Itachi serenely murmured, "Actually, she didn't seem too well at all."
"W-what do you mean?" Shinsei demanded, sapphire orbs diminishing in color.
Picking himself up from his chair, hands absconding from Shinsei's, Itachi heedlessly strolled over to the window, nonchalantly brushing stray locks of raven hair from his face. "Her chakra was disturbed; I could see it with my Sharingan." He tilted his head back so that he could observe Shinsei, onyx orbs morphing to scarlet Sharingan. Shinsei leaned on the edge of her chair, eyes eclectic and petrified as she stared into her lover's before he somberly dropped his gaze. "I don't know what happened."
"I-Itachi," Shinsei sensed the tears pooling in her eyes. "I-I'm scared! I want to see Aiko!"
Lightly returning to Shinsei, Itachi settled in his chair and stroked her face as her vexed tears fled her watering jewels. She draped her arms around his neck as he bent forward and they disclosed a chaste kiss. Shinsei flushed red, blushing as they never kissed before, but it felt so inherent that she hadn't given it a second thought.
Kissing Itachi again, Shinsei felt all her fears and insecurities drain, mind eluding control to her instincts as her heart drummed in her chest, their lips indivisible. She felt his hand run along her thigh, then beneath her legs to lift her into his lap, imprisoning her adjacent to his chest. She inhaled his fervent scent until she was vulnerable amid lightheadedness, hands seeking his ebony hair.
Kisame walked in at a bad time.
Face swelling purple with embarrassment at witnessing his partner kissing a girl, on his lap no less while stroking her thighs, gave rise to a tsunami of mortification at entering such a scene. He was so shocked he released the silver platter and allowed it to plummet to the floor, generating a deafening smash.
Shinsei flinched at the piercing bang, leaping off Itachi who was impervious.
The Uchiha sighed and imperturbably shook his head. "Ah Kisame, you are so clumsy." He strode over to the scene of the accident to assist his friend in the cleanup. Shinsei bent down as well, gathering the jagged, broken shards, and disposing them in the wastebasket while fervidly avoiding the shark nin. Kisame apologized repeatedly, feeling rather foolish, but Itachi dismissed the apologies, convincing him that it was indeed nothing more than a paltry mistake.
Shinsei smiled at Itachi, tending to the mess in her own way. She looked down at the scattered splinters and continued sweeping them into her hand and disposing of them. Her eyes grew suddenly thoughtful. I wonder if I was like this to Aiko…she used to always pick me up and pull me together whenever I had problems…I wish that I could return the favor.
Wiping accumulating tears from her eyes, Shinsei halted for a moment, wincing upon detecting a painful sting. "Ouch!"
"Shinsei?" Itachi murmured softly. "Are you all right?"
She answered his question with a jerky nod, looking down at her hands to see faint traces of blood soaking her skin; when she upsetted herself, she had clenched her fists. The young kunoichi heaved out a bitter sigh, resting her back against the wall as she pondered her best friend's situation, longing to see her soon.
I just hope Aiko's okay.
Unable to escape the constant groans of the bed as she tried to get comfortable, Aiko exhaled a troubled sigh. Her heart was burning. Why hadn't it stopped? Three days had passed since the sealing and she couldn't think properly since then. A thud in the other room distracted her for a moment before she realized that it was probably Hidan doing a ritual for Jashin. This didn't help at all; rather, it made it worse.
Anything pertaining to Hidan, made it worse.
Ignoring the wails of the whining springs, Aiko positioned herself on her back, closing her eyes. Why can't I get a hold of myself? I'm pathetic. After all I've been through, I'm letting this Jashinist get under my skin? She covered her face with quivering hands. Why can't I stop crying? She curled up on her side, trembling as inaudible sobs racked her body.
Her façade was wearing thin.
"Aiko, come out here," Kakuzu ordered stiffly, rapping on her door. "Hidan, you too."
Clambering out of the uncomfortable bed, Aiko meandered to her door and slowly opened it. She wanted to prolong this moment until it was eternal, but the fleeting simplicity beckoned her to ruin as the door creaked open to collide with the door perpendicular to hers. A loud bang caused Aiko to jump back in alarm, door rebounding instantaneously.
She cringed, hearing the one voice she dreaded above all else.
"What the hell? Oh my fricken' Jashin!" Hidan yelled at the top of his lungs. "The door's dented!"
"What? Just get out here!" Kakuzu commanded, irritation edging into his voice.
"Yeah, yeah," Aiko heard Hidan mutter as he stalked away.
Convinced that the Jashinist was gone, Aiko vigilantly opened her door back up and poked her head out; Hidan and Kakuzu were in another room speaking to Zetsu. Aiko cagily vacillated, unsure of whether or not she wanted to know what they were discussing. When she caught the familiar usage of her name, however, Aiko was inquiringly summoned from the shadows.
"There you are," Kakuzu snapped, detecting the kunoichi's presence immediately.
Aiko sourly grimaced. "Sorry; I was sleeping."
The brunette didn't require a passing glance to know that Hidan yearned to make some sort of comment, but decided against it due to the circumstances. Aiko couldn't help but fidget every time Hidan looked at her, his unruffled stare persisted callously in its impassiveness. Zetsu began speaking again and this averted Aiko's attention from the Jashinist.
"I came here specifically to retrieve Aiko," Zetsu stated abruptly, shifting his gaze to the medic.
"Me?" Aiko wondered aloud, touching her lip.
"Indeed," the plant-man answered with a coy grin. "I must transport you to Sunagakure; while obtaining the Shukaku, Deidara's arm was ripped off and he is in need of your services."
Thinking in silence, Aiko nodded lightly, though, when she passed a wary glance to Hidan, she noticed the Jashinist's outward displeasure with the given mission, his lip curling in disdain. For a moment, Aiko surreptitiously hoped he was envious that she would be tending to Deidara; though she quickly dismissed the childish optimism as Hidan spoke up, pitch high.
"Sunagakure? I don't want to go to a fricken' desert!" Hidan complained. "It's too hot!"
"You don't have to," Zetsu evenly replied. "I just need Aiko to come."
Hidan rolled his eyes. "Whatever; I'll go."
Appalled by Hidan's decision, Aiko became dumbfounded into hope. She reasoned that Hidan wasn't angry with her, convinced that maybe he did care about her, enough to accompany her on her special job as a medic; this way they could talk or something. Well, that's what she dreamt anyway, until Hidan finished his answer with a slight sneer.
"I might as well, eh? Besides, I hear the women in Sunagakure are hot."
This crushed Aiko and she clenched her fist, covetousness overriding her reverie. Aiko don't kill him, don't kill him, don't kill him…he's just doing that to get to you and you know it. Save your wrath for later, you can cause him all the pain you want while healing him…come on, stay calm, stay calm, stay calm…ugh, what a pig! I hate him!
Hidan's partner didn't think much of his comment either. "What a revolting thought," Kakuzu muttered, picking up his briefcase. "Stupid, vulgar immortal…anyway, since I'm not needed for this particular assignment, I'm going to go search for leads on the Jinchuriki host while you two accompany Zetsu to tend to Deidara." He shot Zetsu a cautioning glare, jade orbs glinting among a forewarning flash. "Good luck; trust me, you'll need it."
Zetsu was bothered by Kakuzu's portentous admonition.
"This is painful, hmm?" Deidara mused, leaning into a tree as he clutched what remained of him arm.
The blonde's face contorted in agony as the gash threatened to regenerate. The pain crippled him, and without his arm, he felt inadequate, which only worsened his mood. Sasori shuffled around beside him underneath the sumptuous shade of a tree, veiled in his preferred puppet, Hiruko. The lethal pair succeeded not only in encountering a dappled vicinity just outside Sunagakure, but capturing the Shukaku demon as well, which resulted in Deidara's grievance.
"I warned you to be careful, didn't I?" Sasori growled, exasperated, from within Hiruko.
Heaving out a sigh, Deidara muttered, "Yeah, the Kazekage was stronger than I anticipated; but how was I supposed to know? Hmm? I just hope Aiko gets here soon, because this is really starting to hurt, hmm?" He propped his body against the limbs of the tree, face contorted with anguish as he threw his head back in surrender; the sooner help arrived the better.
Dangerous as it was for Akatsuki members to display themselves so candidly in broad daylight, Sasori and Deidara were undaunted due to their hostile power. Despite possessing solely one arm, Deidara could still employ his infamous explosives if needs be, and Sasori was not one to miscalculate. Sasori perceived Deidara's discomfort and visibly rolled his eyes within Hiruko's warped mask, hinting at frustration with his blond partner.
"Just deal with it," Sasori monotonously hissed. "Zetsu should be here soon."
Then, on cue, the black half of Zetsu emerged from the splintered bark of a tree.
Sasori lazily looked over. "It's about time you got here. Well? Where's the medic girl?"
Separating entirely from the tree, Zetsu showed no facial emotions, but murmured, "She and Hidan are on their way with my other half; they should be arriving shortly." Sasori strained his neck in an irked nod, grumbling something about how he abhorred waiting. Deidara, however, eased up at this news and chuckled, before a thought entered his head.
"Wait, did you say Hidan's coming? Hmm?" Deidara spoke Hidan's name as if it were a curse.
"Yes, he is," Zetsu replied tirelessly. "He whined about the heat the entire way."
Making a face, Deidara groaned, "That man is such a pain…all he does is criticize everything! Even at the sealing he got snappy with Leader-sama about some ritual; he's such an arrogant bastard if you ask me, hmm?" Zetsu nodded sagely, ebony figure solid against the beating sunlight. Sasori agreed, unhesitant, stating that for once Deidara was correct.
In the entirety of the Akatsuki, everyone lacked the patience necessary to deal with someone like Hidan; though, Sasori kept his comment that Deidara didn't like Hidan because they were both too egotistical to himself, knowing that quarrelling with the blonde would only lead to headaches and a prolonged delay. Though the fact remained that Hidan was yet to be the most loathed being in their organization.
The subject was dropped, however, when Zetsu's head flicked up. "They're here."
Tossing a glimpse laboriously to the blinding sky, Deidara and Sasori exhaled alleviated sighs upon seeing the ivory half of Zetsu materialize, escorting Aiko and Hidan. Deidara's icy blue eyes settled upon Aiko first, inquisitive as to why she looked so disconcerted. He grinned smoothly at her when she reached his side, tolerating a friendly smile.
"Hello!" Aiko chimed cheerfully, fake beam unconvincing.
Deidara smirked innocently. "Sorry for dragging you all the way out here."
Shrugging, Aiko weaved some hand signs, a blue glow emitting around her pallid hands. Deidara lowered himself to the ground and Aiko knelt to one knee, asking for his arm, which she received from Zetsu who had so graciously found and retrieved it. Aiko silently mended the wound with a dissipating smile, concentrating on healing him. Hidan snorted uncouthly.
"What's taking you so long?" Hidan scratched the back of his neck, carping after approximately five minutes. "Yeesh, you're taking longer than death!"
Restraining her fury as it pulsed throughout her body, Aiko dryly responded, "I'm reviving the cells that have died, while removing any toxins that may have entered the bloodstream through the wound, all the while reconnecting the skin tissue and nerves. It takes a lot of concentration, more so than you could ever pull off." Deidara snorted a laugh at this and Hidan went red, face flushing with indignity. Aiko remained focused on her work.
"Ah, it hurts a little," Deidara mused, shifting around. Aiko glanced up, hazel eyes wide.
"Does it?" she returned, observing her vocation. "I'll be done soon anyway."
Azure flames licked around Aiko's hand, expanding into a fiery blaze encasing her fingers as she revved up her chakra, deploying massive bursts of it to treat the injury faster. Deidara's eyes filled with light as he watched, fascinated by the radiance as it died out a moment later, flickering out to nothing, and as Aiko released his now attached arm. Deidara moved the formerly estranged limb, smirking with immediate satisfaction.
A wide simper spread across his lips. "Thanks," Deidara said as he got to his feet, eternally appreciative, but then looked down to see Aiko panting, body trembling as she balanced her weight on one quivering arm. "Aiko? What's the matter, hmm?" He frowned, bemused, and dropped to one knee beside her as Hidan glanced over, lavender eyes conical.
"You stupid blonde!" Hidan bellowed, striding over to Aiko. "What did you do to her, eh?!"
Aiko huffed, pursuing each ragged breath as her heart beat rapidly within the confinement of her chest.
"It's…not…his fault…" Aiko whispered between wheezes. "I…overdid it…"
Disregarding whatever Aiko had to say, Hidan barged over and yelled, "This is great! Look at what you did, eh? Now she can't even function properly!" Aiko would have been touched that he cared, had he not been caterwauling in her ear and only worsening her weakened condition. Aiko precariously forced herself on her feet, eyes flaring with incensed anger.
Biting down hard on her lip as she erratically stabilized herself alongside a tree, Aiko exclaimed, "How many times do I have to say it? It's not his fault! I'm just a little drained from using so much chakra, which I needed to waste more of because a certain, stupid Jashinist couldn't keep his mouth shut long enough for me to concentrate!"
Hidan whirled around, shocked that she was blaming him. "What?! Are you saying this is my fault?!"
Aiko keenly averted her eyes, wincing at the throbbing pain in her arm.
Scrunching up his face, Hidan opened his mouth to say something more, but stopped upon seeing how much pain Aiko was in. He squared his jaw, the muscle twitching inconceivably, and spun around on his heel, folding his arms decidedly across his chest. "Just hurry up and regain your strength or whatever so we can get back then; I'm so sick of this."
Offended by Hidan's utter lack of consideration and sympathy, Aiko silently admitted that maybe she deserved it for insulting him earlier; though, that didn't quite justify his brusque actions either. She gritted her teeth, pressing them together in disgust, realizing that the only reason why he wasn't screaming at her now was because he took pity on her condition.
Damn it! This isn't what I wanted…I thought everything would be okay if maybe I avoided him for a little while, but we still ended up colliding with each other. The thing that sucks the most about this is that I still fricken' want him so goddamn badly! Why can't I ever get anything right? I'm such an idiot! I've gone and done what Konan warned me not to do…I lost my freedom due to my lack of power…I lost Shinsei because I don't have control over anything…
But there's one thing that hurts more than anything else…
I lost Hidan.
Author's Note: I don't know how much more of this sadness I can handle…it is making me very, very sad. Looking over my plans, there is to be one last chapter of this horribleness between Aiko and Hidan before their relationship gets back on track…I promise you that they are still getting together. Believe it! XD!
I am so excited! :D
While I am uplifted for a moment, I want to send out major thanks to mistress akasha for reviewing all of those chapters that she hadn't already (I was so touched that I do believe I was ready to cry), cheeky half-demon as always for her lovely reviews, Lori-Winchester for hers, and of course, Kakashi Forever for her review…thank you so very much all of you!
-Aiko of the Akatsuki
