"Fearless is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again...even though every time you've tried before you've lost."
Orochimaru woke up feeling as if someone was smacking into him with a hammer. His head screamed its pain and he almost felt partially dead to the outside world sounds because of it. His eyes took a few moments to get on board with his apparent hang over.
The Sannin felt something warm beside him and instantly shifted away in discomfort before discovering it was Tsukiko's furry body neatly tucked beside his.
When the dog saw his friend was awake his tail wagged happily his eyes lighting up. Orochimaru pulled the dog closer again as his fingers slipped through the canines fur. He didn't know where he was, the room foreign. Sunlight cascaded through the cracks of the blinds, but ultimately didn't light up much of the room. The Sannin sat up slowly after giving himself a few minutes to get a hold of himself. He then brushed his fingers through his hair and returned it to its usual immaculate self.
He got out from the sheets and entered the hall which he now recognized. He navigated the house until he arrived at the lounge where Tsukiko happily hopped onto the couch beside Deidara who was originally siting there.
"You're alive." Deidara said to his friend as he pet the dog who greeted him.
"Barely." Orochimaru admitted, every sound in the room had his mind mentally shattering.
"You drank a bit too much I'd say." Deidara laughed, his eyes were equally as out of it.
"And you?" Orochimaru asked. The blond laughed but ultimately could never lie for his reputation.
"I was as smashed as you." Deidara admitted, "although I at least didn't black out..."
Orochimaru couldn't remember the previous night at all. He had no recollection of half of it. He could recall everything prior to the drinking game, but after that it was a blacked out blur of unsureness.
He vaguely remembered the courtyard, but he struggled to recollect exactly what had happened. Who had he been speaking to? Saura exited the kitchen and leant on the open arch doors frame.
"How are you feeling?" He asked with genuine interest.
"I've been better." Orochimaru admitted.
"The morning after is never anyone's favourite time if day." Saura chuckled, "I made breakfast if you're ready to eat."
The two ninja agreed readily. The servings were far more elaborate than either ninja expected. Even back in the village, they were used to simple living. The variety was astounding and made the ninja feel as if they were at buffet rather than a friends house. Two ninja exited the kitchen humbly, they must have been paid work. Notably, they were far happier looking than other ninja who had received jobs from NW citizens. Saura didn't seem like a hard boss to please, and considering his past behaviours he probably paid the ninja well.
The three of them grabbed what they wanted to eat and sat down on the outside patio. Deidara hadn't had anything he deemed to be good food in a while and was more than happy stocking up his plate. The Sannin however had always been a light eater and took barely anything before settling down.
"That all?" Saura asked curiously.
"He doesn't eat." Deidara said used to his friends ways.
"I don't eat much." Orochimaru corrected, they muttered about what they remembered from the night before. Saura remembered most of it, all the way up until the snake had passed out from over drinking.
"Sorry about cutting your night short." Orochimaru said to the Nw man, Saura laughed lightly.
"The night was already over. You picked a good time." He replied. They carried on their conversations until finally Saura changed the topic.
"Do you two need anything else?" He asked, "I mean in general now, I know it's hard for ninja to acquire what they need."
"I think we are fine, you've given us enough." Orochimaru said, Saura wasn't convinced.
"What about phones? So we can stay in contact easier." He offered.
Orochimaru wasn't keen but he felt Deidara elbow him under the table and flinched with an inaudible "ow".
"I think phones may be useful." Deidara answered. The NW seemed keen and requested the hired ninja to remove the plates before fetching his car key.
Tsukiko was left in the backyard, which stretched on for many yards. He splashed in the water fountain which created a chaotic mess. The air was still cold and the Sannin couldn't understand how the dog enjoyed the icy water to top off the frozen winds. He soon realized he was still in a strangers jacket, it triggered some of his memory of the night before. He recalled the man leading him outside. Recalled him offering the job. He couldn't remember what his answer was to the man nor could he recall the end of their meeting.
The car roared to life and pulled sharply out of the driveway. Orochimaru looked out the glass windows as trees and streetlights blurred past. He knew Kakashi would be worried for him, it had been long enough. Then again, perhaps he wasn't. Perhaps he was still more angry at the ninja than he was concerned. Those thoughts spiralled around his head for endless hours until the car stopped near a shop. By the end of the trip he had decided that he knew Kakashi well enough to know he was worried. He cared, that was certain. They got out the car and Orochimaru pushed away his concerns and migraine. That was until he saw Kakashi walking beside Asuma in the streets. Walking with no traces of worry on his face, no furrow in his brow, no thoughts in his mind. Did it matter? The Sannin tried his hardest to believe it didn't, but he never managed to convince his heart no matter how much his brain agreed.
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"It'll get your mind off things." That's what Asuma had told him, and he wanted to think the walk would do exactly that. It never did, however the copy ninja knew if he showed Asuma he was still worried, his friend would become distant. He hated the snakes name being mentioned as of late, Kakashi feared his lover returning. The odds of another outburst was inevitable. What made matters hard was that Asuma had his points, he had been friends with Asuma longer than he had been dating the Sannin, as well as the fact that the snake summoner had done wrong in the past, and did have stains on his name worth pointing out. At the same time, Orochimaru never started the fight, he simply defended himself, and the past was past, who hadn't done things immoral? Not a single ninja had crimes petty enough to be forgotten. He had reasons as all the other forgiven rogues had, he just didn't tell them.
It was an impossible argument to be in the middle of, and he found himself on Asuma's side only because no one else was. Shikamaru and Ino would certainly choose their teacher, but they never reached out to choose. They were the youngest members in the group. They had the least experience and they were not updated on all the events, so they stayed side lined in fights. They didn't defend Asuma during the fight, only after the fight, but that meant Asuma was always alone during the squabbles. Which once again made Kakashi feel inclined to step out and help his friend.
"I don't even know where to start looking for a job." Asuma said, "But I can't stay in that motel any longer, we need money fast."
The words snapped Kakashi out of his frame of mind, "Of course."
He was finding it hard to act normal, thankfully his friend hadn't noticed the strained tone yet.
"Hidan is already bringing in money, which is good." Asuma said.
"We'll all get jobs soon enough." Kakashi replied, they carried on walking around the city aimlessly until finally the two found possible work. Once Asuma had managed to convince the NW women to hire him he seemed to be more spirited.
Kakashi found the man's happiness was slightly contagious and his own energy lifted. They walked down the street until the copy ninja met eyes with a slitted pair of golden ones. The familiar stare was cold, and unfeeling. He was leaning outside a store of some sort of technological device. Had the serpent seen him, it was a passing glance. Could the copy ninja play it off, pretend he hadn't seen his lover. He didn't want to drag Asuma over to the Sannin, he had just managed to find the man's positive side once more. Kakashi hoped it wasn't obvious when he carried on past the serpent, the latter of which was far enough to be out of earshot unless he yelled. Besides that the streets were busy, it was easy to disappear in the crowded side walk. So that's what the copy ninja did, he turned a blind eye out of worrying for his friend.
He prayed to the gods that his lover would fall for the ploy of being over looked, if not, he would be certain to receive much harsher cold shouldering later that day. If the Sannin even returned home at all. It was a fear the copy ninja never admitted out loud. The Sannin was known to run when he felt his position was no longer working for him. He was a part of team Hiruzen, then when him and his team mates became distant he defected from them, then soon after when the village let him down one too many times he fled from them as well. He moved to the Akatsuki soon after but once more ran away from the idea of comradeship. The snake seemed unwilling to stay where he felt slightly unsafe, or slightly unwelcomed. Any hint of something going wrong had him running in the opposite direction after he issued a warning. He didn't like having enemies, yet he made so many so easily.
Asuma noticed the entire ordeal, "You're still angry with him huh?" the man asked, "good."
Kakashi wanted to punch himself, if Asuma had seen the entire thing then the Sannin most certainly had. He cursed himself mentally. It was one more thing he could put on his worst boyfriend of the month reputation. At least he had made best friend of the month he noted as Asuma seemed delighted that they had successfully snubbed the serpent. Kakashi admitted he felt like shit, and he found it a lot harder to catch on to his friends energy now. One victory, one loss he thought dismally.
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He'd have rather had his lover yell at him, or say something of malicious intent. But to ignore him, that was something which cut deeper than any harsh words. It didn't make the Sannin sad, nor did it make him wish to recede into himself and wallow in self-pity. It was safe to say he was pissed off, and he didn't think about controlling himself when he spoke to the unsuspecting blond ninja.
"Why are you waiting outside, don't you want to-" Deidara was swiftly cut off.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," The snake hissed, "But that bastard walking away is Kakashi no?"
"Looks like it… want to call him?" Deidara asked, but he could hear in his friends voice that the crime had already been committed, "…what did he say when he walked past?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Orochimaru hissed, he then reigned in his anger and placed one of his slim hands to his temple, "Leave it, where is Saura?"
"inside… he is choosing a phone for us since we have no idea what we are looking at." Deidara said, although despite his answer being informative, the Sannin knew the blond was still more distracted by the fact that Kakashi was now in even more trouble.
"Good, we should go to him then." Orochimaru said wanting to rid himself of the image of his partners retreating back. The two ninja entered the store and the NW looked over at him with an enthusiastic smile.
"These two should do you both well. They're touch screen, which means the buttons appear on screen, not on the actual device." Saura explained, "I've set you both up under my name, here are your numbers."
The two ninja looked at the foreign devices, it only took the snake summoner a few moments to grasp what it was he had to do to work the device. He had a logical and more technical mind, such things did not confuse him. He knew how to break them down into simpler forms and aid his brain in remembering what it needed to. Saura was impressed at his speed and proficiency. Deidara was accustomed to being mentally one step behind the legendary prodigy and didn't take offence, instead he shoved his own metallic phone in his friends face.
"Unlock it genius." He said slightly frustrated when the phone denied him access. As the blond didn't take offence at his friends competence in logical matters, the Sannin didn't take offence in his friends lack of patience. He knew of his explosive personality and temper. Orochimaru tapped on the screen and then handed it back to the other ninja who fidgeted with it until he accidently hit the lock button and let out a frustrated sigh. He lobbed it at the Sannin, Saura's heart jumped when he saw the delicate piece of metal being flung, but he sighed in relief when Orochimaru caught it with ease. They drove back with the sound of Deidara constantly wrestling with his phones mechanics, he seemed to be unable to grasp it until the journey ended and he smiled smugly and he locked and unlocked the phone with ease as well as accessing his contacts. Orochimaru and Saura's phones rang three times each when they exited the car. Neither one of them answered as they knew it was simply the blond getting over excited with his new feature.
"Kakashi won't be able to stay in contact with you." Deidara said, "He'll need to buy one of these."
"I don't think he will, he doesn't seem interested in any kind of contact anyway." Orochimaru retorted, they entered the house which had magically been cleaned upon their return. Ninja weren't used to maids, only the highest status ninja had people who cleaned their homes. Orochimaru never fancied the idea of having workers who did chores, why would he ever want someone in his space? He was perfectly capable of cleaning up after himself, and tending to all matters regarding his needs. After more dawdling the two ninja soon realized it was already afternoon. Orochimaru no longer cared whether Kakashi was worried, as he evidently wasn't. But he felt the need to return to home base.
"I'll drop you guys off." Saura offered, his usual need to provide never failing. Orochimaru had given up on the idea of not owing the man. What was the point? At that rate he was already well in debt. They called Tsukiko who happily trotted inside the car once again sitting awkwardly on the floor as he decided it was where gravity requested he go.
The drive progressed normally until the car spun out of control, it was only a light drizzle, the roads perfectly safe. The ninja in the car smashed into the seats in front of them where as Saura slammed into the steering wheel. The world beyond the tinted windows twisted and blurred as the car swung around one eighty. The sound of glass shattering echoed through the vehicle as two windows were smashed. Orochimaru and Deidara shielded themselves out of reflex. A car had rammed into them from the side, the side where Saura and Orochimaru sat. Thankfully not hard enough to kill or seriously injure anyone. Minor wounds from impact was all they stumbled out with when the car finally came to a stop in the middle of the road. Saura looked at his fancy car which now had a triangular hole.
"The hell is wrong with you?" He yelled at the man who got out his vehicle, the man who had caused the accident. He appeared drunk. Deidara and Orochimaru looked at one another troubled, it was hardly the time of day to be inebriated. It took a few moments and the two ninja were no longer shaken, both back to their usual calm selves, Tsukiko seemed stressed and whimpered and shook. Orochimaru tended to the dog alongside Deidara, while Saura tended to the drunk man. Although he was much more masculine in build to the two smaller shinobi, he was shaken and evidently stunned by the events.
Being ninja, neither Orochimaru nor Deidara felt the feeling of being spun out of control alarming. They had both been hit by many resengans in their lifetimes. If anything this would be one of their least painful exchanges with gravity. Seconds later police sirens were heard as two blue and white cars pulled up. The accident was soon bordered off as Saura angrily retold the story to the officers who could easily see the man who had caused the accident had been driving under the influence of alcohol.
"he'll be made to pay for damages." One officer reassured the NW. Saura wasn't satisfied but he didn't take out that rage on the cop any longer but instead made his way to the ninja.
"You alright?" he asked, still rather unsettled from the accident. The two ninja nodded easily.
"you could say we're used to it." Deidara said.
"Felt like home really." Orochimaru laughed lightly, Tsukiko grumbled below them, he didn't seem all too thrilled. They all had minor cuts from the glass, the dog no different.
"We'll stop at the hospital to get patched up. An ambulance will be here soon." Saura said.
"I don't need to be patched up, a bandage will do." Orochimaru said as he checked himself over, the other ninja doing the same.
"You aren't shaken at all by this?" Saura asked noticing just how nonchalant they both were, they looked over to one another and shook their heads.
"Tsukiko is, perhaps we can take him to the hospital." Orochimaru said.
"We can take him to the vet." Saura said.
"Can your medics not heal animals?" Orochimaru asked.
"No… our veterinarians can though." Saura stated.
"It's the same principles." Deidara stated.
"Hmm, perhaps not. They don't heal one another remember. They don't have chakara which can mend wounds nor do they have the knowledge of how to reconstruct nerve damage." Orochimaru said, "We'll take Tsukiko to the vet then, straight after you go to the hospital to get patched up?"
Saura couldn't quite understand how the frail looking ninja was so steadfast with blood on him, how he was so casual when most of his wounds required stitches. However the NW didn't want to appear weaker than the smaller males so he pretended he was also fine as they waited for the ambulance.
Its siren alarmed the two ninja, and they didn't feel all too safe hopping into the back of the van. Saura went in first, so the two long haired ninja followed him in. Tsukiko threw a small fit entering the car, after the last incident he had opted to never set foot into something with wheels. It took a few moments but standby medics eventually tricked the dog inside. He whimpered the entire drive to the hospital, and no amount of reassurance and petting had him calming down. Orochimaru remained as calm as possible hoping the dog would feed off of his energy, but it never worked the way it usually did with his snake summonings who were equally as confident in the face of danger or terror. They got to the hospital but they were informed Tsukiko was not allowed into the building.
"He will be watched by the security guards." A female medic said, "He'll be fine while you are seen to."
Orochimaru took her word purely because he had little choice. He threw worried eyes back at the dog who seemed unnerved and flighty. He then stopped to turn around to go back to the animal but two men escorted him forwards. They thought they were being helpful, they thought that the Sannin was still in shock and was making irrational decisions. He wasn't, he simply didn't feel it safe leaving his pet in that state.
He was commanded by irritable medics, who had little patience for ninja as was and he found he was eventually inside the hospital. He was too light to put up a decent fight and Saura requested they simply get matters sorted. Orochimaru could hear Tsukiko bark and growl as he saw the Sannin leave unwillingly. When silence entered the car crashed victims ears the snake summoner commanded himself to simply settle down and go through with standard procedure. He couldn't help but feel wrong about his departure, and something left him feeling unsettled. They signed in at the desk and then awaited as the rain poured down the window slightly more heavily now. They were told to sit in a white room which consisted of many odd objects the ninja found to be sketchy. Saura could name almost every instrument, but it didn't reassure them at all.
Orochimaru recognised some of the objects from his last stay at Yiara, and he recalled being alarmed whenever they introduced him to a new device. The doctor entered and sat down in front of them with a light smile on his face.
"If none of you are afraid of needles I will give you a shot for the shock. Then I need to check you for any internal damages, after that I will get my assistant to stitch your deeper flesh wounds." The doctor explained. He had three needles ready and he almost seemed to be waiting for one of the ninja to object to the needle. However both were still perfectly calm, they got hacked up by kunai more than often enough, the pin prick of a needle was hardly frightening. If anything it was the only familiar thing in the room. Since nobody objected the doctor took his first shot and requested Saura's arm, the latter of which begrudgingly obeyed. The doctor then moved to the snake but found he and the blond had already given themselves their own shots and had neatly dabbed the small trickle of blood.
"Were you two medics?" The doctor asked.
"No, but I did study the basics, all ninja do really." Orochimaru said as he watched the man do a physical check on Saura.
It once more involved an odd machine, and Orochimaru watched in slight horror as the devices lights flashed to life and then died before emitting a strange odd short beep. He then requested one of the ninja come forth and this time they both seemed hesitant, the doctor watched them in confusion.
"This doesn't hurt." He reassured them. Deidara went up first noting how the serpent was still cautious of the machine. His blue eyes followed every light and sound until he heard the same short beep. He moved over so the Sannin could enter and he did so suspiciously. When he was finally checked over the doctor informed them there were no internal damages done at all, and that they simply needed a few stitches. Saura had thought he was brave going up to get his stitches done first, however when he returned the doctors assistant and him were both shocked to see the two ninja casually doing their own stiches. The needle slipping under their skin never once managed to upset them. They looked up with calm and expectant eyes.
"All done?" They asked as they rose from their seats, the doctor seemed slightly confused. It wasn't often patients knew how to patch themselves up so efficiently.
"Um… yeah I'm- did you just stitch yourselves up?" Saura asked his voice mildly panicking. The question seemed odd to the two ninja, they gave him an, "of course we did" kind of look before moving to the door.
"Tsukiko is waiting." Orochimaru urged, so they moved off to the lobby once more where Saura signed them all out. As they left they could see standby medics looking around and whistling, it sounded as if they were calling a dog and the Sannin instantly felt the same unsettled feeling return. He picked up his pace and trotted to where he had last left Tsukiko but the dog was not there. A medic came up to him with slightly distressed eyes.
"The dog ran away." He blurted out with little tact.
"What do you mean he got away? You let him escape?" Saura snapped.
Orochimaru didn't wait to hear more, his concerns didn't lie within blaming someone for his loss. He wanted to find his dog, he wanted to personally go and rescue the mixed-breed. He was already walking down the path in the direction the medics were calling.
"Oro-chan." Saura called, but he could tell the snake summoner wasn't listening, darkness was already settling over the land and the medical centre lead into a busy main road which then crossed over into a forest. If Tsukiko had entered the thick terrain he was likely gone out of ear shot. The dark trees and foreboding wind coupled with light rain did not deter the ninja. He had been through worse. He was willing to go through worse. He tried to let his instincts guide him but he was disrupted by more medics.
"It's far too dangerous." One stated.
"Besides, it's dark, the cars on the main road won't see you in the rain." Another chimed in.
"He won't last out there, we didn't even take him to be checked on after the crash." Orochimaru hissed, "And there are wild animals in your forests correct? Far more feral and primitive ones. He'll die, an I'm not willing to let that happen."
"We can look in the morning." Saura said.
"Who knows how far he would have run by then. You go home, I'm going to look for him." Orochimaru said.
"You could get attacked." Saura said, "You have been attacked, many times. Surely that's enough to stop you from doing this."
Orochimaru made it clear he wasn't going to stop when he placed one graceful foot into the busy road. Puddles were disturbed and splashed as wheels tore through them breaking the water in a chaotic display. Saura called to the snake but he did not look back at the man, he was focused on getting across the road. It wasn't as hard as the medics had made it to be. The cars were fast, but the serpent would always be faster and more in time with himself. He had safely gotten across the freeway, despite vehicles driving over the speed limits, despite drivers not seeing the male at all. Orochimaru was behind the coverage of the trees in no time. He was settled on one thing, he didn't mind being alone after all. He didn't feel uncertain when he realized no one was going to follow him into the dangerous unknown world. He had done it many times had he not? But no, this time would be different, he wasn't alone.
"Wait up hmm?" A familiar voice called, the blonds hair stood out in the dark woods as he bounded up, "Which way are we heading?"
"You didn't have to come." Orochimaru admitted, his friend simply laughed. Laughed as if the prospect was a joke, as if the serpent had not intended his words at all.
"North or west?" Deidara asked. Golden eyes cut through the night and watched him.
"North."
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Night had descended and still the blond and black haired ninja had not returned home. Kakashi found himself slightly worried for the first two minutes and then he found himself hurtling into panic soon after.
"Where the hell are they?" he finally snapped.
"Probably pissed you ignored him still, leave him." Asuma said for what must have been the thousandth time. Kakashi wasn't in the mood to simply leave his lover. Who knew what he was doing with that other man, the man who seemed to always show up in time, always seemed to have what the Sannin needed in that exact moment.
"You ignored him?" Hidan asked as he placed himself onto the couch.
"It wasn't ignoring." Kakashi argued.
"What was it then? You met eyes with him after not seeing him for an entire night and walked straight past." Asuma said, "I think it was well owed. He can make the advances this time around."
"Sounds like you snubbed him like a bunch of five year olds. Was he alone?" Hidan asked, slightly unimpressed but not to the degree of caring.
"I'm sure he was with Deidara." Kakashi said, Asuma looked over at him his eyes now bored once more.
"Who cares?" Asuma said as he shifted in his seat, the motel phone then buzzed to life.
"Hey it works again." Hidan enthused.
"Management connected it this morning." Shikamaru said as he went to the phone and picked it up. He held it to his ear with more proficiency than Hidan had previously, "Um, no he hasn't. No neither of them are back- sorry who is this? Sa-Saura?"
"Let me speak to him." Kakashi said, this time the Nara did not throw the phone and allowed Kakashi to come to him which the copy ninja did hastily. The Jounin held it to his ear and heard the slightly panicked voice.
"Hello?" Saura said.
"Hey, it's Kakashi." The copy ninja answered.
"I was just asking if Orochimaru or Deidara have returned home yet. They aren't answering their phones." Saura said.
"No they haven't. When last did you see them, can I leave a message for when they return?" Kakashi asked, not so much assuming the two were hidden in the woods but more assuming they hadn't come home due to their feud.
"Last I saw them they were running into the woods." Saura said, "Tsukiko ran away after we got into an accident and they went after him. They aren't receiving my calls, maybe signal can't reach them. Give me a call if they return home I'm going to send a search out."
"They're in the woods? Why in hells name- alone?" Kakashi asked.
"No together." Saura said. It was the same thing as alone now wasn't it, the copy ninja regretted his entire days decisions, he should have been there for his lover. If he had Orochimaru surely would have called for backup, but the stubborn male would happily charge head first into danger with practically no allies. The two small built ninja would be doomed if they came into confrontation with anything.
"Can you give me directions to where you last saw them?" Kakashi asked.
"Don't trouble yourself." Saura stated, he seemed slightly agitated.
"I think I have more right to go and find the than you do stranger." Kakashi warned.
"You haven't done such a good job helping anyone so far big shot." Saura snapped back.
"I'm supposed to thank you for letting him run into the woods?" Kakashi snapped, the room watched the copy ninja bark into the phone angrily. They could just make out what Saura was saying on the other end and they knew the Jounin was now stressed. Hidan had gotten to his feet and leant on the motel door. He was eager to leave and seek out the lost comrades if need be.
"Just give me his last seen location." Kakashi said.
"Fuck off." Saura said, "you're not going to be any good out there. Last thing I need is Oro-chan going back into the woods to find you."
Oro-chan?
That was a title he wished the man was beside him saying, he would have punched the man for his insolence, would have shown him who was truly more competent one on one. But that was not an option and he knew he had to calm down to extract the information he needed from the man now that his lovers fate rested in the NW's hands.
"you don't know how ninja work, just tell me where he is." Kakashi said.
"What are you going to do? Walk there? It'll be morning by the time you reach the woods." Saura argued, he sounded as if he was busy on the other end. Probably preparing to leave the house.
"I don't know. I'll figure it out, but I'm not doing nothing." Kakashi said. Saura seemed to pause when the man said that.
"Tell you what, I'll come pick you up and we can go to the police station to file a missing report." Saura said, "They'll send out a search party with dogs to find him along with other tracking methods which are far more useful than us on foot."
Kakashi agreed, he would do whatever it took. He could always hop out the car and do his own thing when he had more information and was slightly closer to his destination. Asuma hadn't budged from the sofa, he hadn't even looked up. The copy ninja hung up the phone hastily and then trotted down the stairs. He didn't ask anyone to come with him and when he reached the door he noticed that nobody beside Hidan had. Shikamaru and Ino were probably loyally waiting for their teachers first move, for leaving him would seem like a slight betrayal. Saura's car pulled up fifteen minutes later, the side of it completely smashed in. As if the Kyubi itself had decided to strike it with one of its giant tails. Saura looked out his smashed window and told them to get in, he eyed Hidan suspiciously. Which was normal, the man looked rather thug like and constantly had a psychotic look looming in his dark eyes. The drive was hardly a pleasant one, but the police stations bright lights finally came into view.
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"Do you think this thing has a flashlight?" Deidara said suddenly as he messed with his phone, the Sannin looked at him curiously.
"Do we need one?" Orochimaru asked.
"You might not cat eyes but I for one would like to make sure I'm not stepping on something else's shit." Deidara muttered, he avoided a tree narrowly.
"Well I'm sure you can make that thing shine brighter somehow." Orochimaru said as he watched the blond fuss with the phone. Being out in the elements at night had somehow made both ninja much more at ease. They were enjoying the fresh air and the rain wasn't deterring them either. It was a familiar unpleasant feeling, and being homesick made them appreciate even the negatives of their past. They called for the dog but decided eventually to rather stay silent in case predators were around. That would surely cut their joy in half.
"Ahah!' Deidara cried as the phone shone brightly, Orochimaru shielded his eyes for a moment while they adjusted. The forest floor lit up as the blond extended his phone which had now been set to display its built in flashlight. They walked around the forest, both unaware that the device was slowly becoming more and more damaged as the rain battered down on it. Out of nowhere they both heard a loud noise which blurred past them as it materialized. They skidded to the side in fright before realizing it was merely an owl swooping past.
"The others ask that never happened." Orochimaru said as he tried to regain composure. Deidara nodded with a small chuckle and then moved over to his friend to take a leaf out of his black hair which hung at his face now that it was wet.
Both males had their long hair drenched now, and it clung to their faces, shoulders and backs as it got more and more soaked. They didn't mind it too much.
"I think we could survive pretty well on our own." Deidara said.
"We have for many years in the past." Orochimaru reminded him, "just a question, how lost are we?"
"Well I have no bloody clue where we are. So if you're not bringing any direction to the table then I'd say we are pretty damn lost." Deidara said honestly.
"Alright." Orochimaru said calmly, "Just checking we were on the same page with that."
"The forest has to end sometime right?" Deidara said, he saw his phones light flicker.
"What's wrong with it?" Orochimaru asked.
"I don't know…" Deidara admitted he tried pressing random buttons but the phone appeared to be frozen. He was getting fed up and the Sannin quickly took the device.
"Don't die now." He hissed in annoyance as the phone made no attempt to respond, "The hells wrong with you?"
"I'm sorry. Please ask the question again." The female automated voice said aloud as the Sannin accidently triggered it. The ninja stared at the phone in horror.
"Did it just talk?" Deidara asked.
"How can I help you?" The phone repeated in its eerily inhuman female sound.
"Wow, technology is pretty advanced it seems." Orochimaru stated, "Sorry for hitting you."
The serpent apologised as he still had no idea it was simply preprogramed sounds. He felt genuinely bad for rough handling the device which displayed some sort of a mind.
"Is there something you need?" The voice repeated.
"We need directions… can you find Tsukiko for us?" Orochimaru asked hopefully.
"Let me google Tsu-kik-o." the voice said strangely, the name of the dog was not set into the phone so the device repeated the phrase in an automated way.
"You're going to what?" Orochimaru snapped irritably.
"I'm sorry- no results came up." The phone said.
"No results? Is he not in the forest?" Orochimaru asked.
"Please try again." The phone said.
"Try what again?" Orochimaru asked.
"Please repeat that." The phone requested.
"What's wrong with you?" Orochimaru said slightly concerned now as the phone made less and less sense.
"How can I help you?" The phone asked, Deidara seemed irritated that it was repeating itself as well.
"We need help yes! Hells sake call someone." Deidara said.
"Who would you like to call?" The phone asked.
"Saura, call him he has a phone." Deidara said.
"call Saura." Orochimaru ordered.
"Saura does not exist." The phone replied as it could not find the man's name in the contacts due to Deidara misspelling the name on his mobile.
"Maybe your phone isn't retarded." Deidara tried, the Sannin decided it was worth a try and flipped out his metallic device which buzzed to life happily. He couldn't figure out how to make his talk as he had accidently triggered the action on Deidara's mobile.
"Why won't you talk?" Orochimaru asked the phone.
"Please repeat command." Deidara's phone buzzed.
"I'm not talking to you!" Orochimaru snapped. The ninja eventually got fed up with the useless creations and shoved them into their pockets. The Sannin's jacket no longer offered him any protection as it was soaked through as was his chosen purple shirt. Deidara had the same problem as his clothes did not protect his skin from the icy chilling weather. They carried onwards through the forest, the whole while ignoring the blonds phone as it requested he repeat his orders. The winds picked up and soon a loud bang entered the skies causing the two ninja to jump on guard.
It appeared to be thunder, which was odd as the dome should cancel out such weather effects. Perhaps there was a reason nature had all of its weather features. Perhaps the NW army had incorporated them to avoid tampering with nature too much.
It was then that the serpent wondered what the weather was like outside the dome. He wondered what his home town looked like now, what had become of the structure he had once called home. He hoped he would not have to wonder for long, he hoped he would be able to see for himself one day, and that that day would come forth soon. Deidara sighed out loud, whatever he was thinking about was clearly giving him trouble as well. Orochimaru glanced over to see what had caused his friend grief but he saw it before he had to ask. The blonds hairband had snapped and his thick hair was now all over the show in its wet mess. Its thick strands clumped together.
Orochimaru tried to withhold a small chuckle but it escaped his lips and angered blue eyes met his placid gold ones.
"Hardly funny." Deidara commented.
"Not for you no." Orochimaru laughed as he threw his eyes back to the woods in front of them.
"We are going to starve out here." Deidara said, evidently haven voiced his thoughts.
"Nonsense. We know how to survive in the wilds, we have done it all our lives. It only seems hopeless as we entered here at night. It will be easier come morning." Orochimaru said calmly, he left out the most important fact of the situation. They used to survive fine, but they used to have chakara.
"Tsukiko!" Deidara yelled, they stared into the distance but no movement showed itself, the blond yelled again, then one more time before giving up for the next few minutes. A bang sounded again, this time however, it did not sound exactly like thunder. The next sound was a dogs bark and they both looked behind them hopefully only to hear several more dogs barking in chorus. The dogs sounded maddened, even frenzied. As if they had caught the ninjas scent and as if that had stirred them up. The loud voices of men yelling echoed the forest next until finally the roar of a machine. The roar was softer than most cars were, but it still alarmed the ninja greatly. They stared at the noise with unsure fear until lights flashed across the floor aiming directly at them. They took flight like startled deer as they darted over roots and rocks, through thick puddles which splashed up at them. They stumbled through the dark woods slipping on the terrain and colliding into the darkened trees and low hanging branches. They could hear men yelling and dogs barking while lights chased their trails. They felt as if they were prey hopelessly trying to outrun a predator which had most likely already lured them into a trap.
They stuck close by to one another, they didn't want to be caught, but they certainly did not want to be caught alone. They were quick on their feet and both light weight, it made ducking around obstacles easy, but at the same time, the hounds following them in the rain seemed to be equally as agile. A steep decline caught both ninjas attention too late and they skidded to a halt but never managed to actually stop in time. They barrelled down the incline hitting every rock and sticking out fallen tree as they did so. Old wounds were broken open and their clothes received large gashes as did their skin. The world was a mess as they spun around at high speeds, the dogs lunged down the hill with tenacity, but they slowed themselves down when the realized how treacherous it truly was. Both ninja hit the bottom and felt their entire bodies wracked with pain, it took a few moments to regain sense of the world but one look at the dogs making their way towards them had them on their feet. The dogs wore harnesses which lit up in the dark. Orochimaru read the words K9 before he was running again. Lights shone down out of flashlights from the top of the hill and men could be heard yelling for the dogs to seek. Then men yelled for the ninja to stop, that they were from the police station.
The ninja couldn't find out why the police would want them, they hadn't done anything, nothing worth chasing. Unless they had been discovered, unless the NW men had realized they had denied the proposal. Whatever the reason, they knew they had to run or risk some sort of penalty. The trees became narrower down the slope but soon they found themselves staring off a cliff again, it was steep once more, only slightly steeper than the first. This time they had stopped in time and they attempted to descend it with more tact. It only worked for the forest few steps, they became hurried as the dogs and men gained on them. One wrong move from the blonds part had him falling too fast, he tried to catch himself but he ended up taking the snake summoner down with him. They reached the bottom but this time they had stunned themselves from the impact. Orochimaru felt his world blur and he saw dogs come around him as did men. He found he couldn't see much after that, the world was shifting and he felt someone try and pick him up onto his feet. His legs weren't working, neither was the rest of him.
"Apprehend the blond, this one needs medical attention." The man holding the Sannin called to one of his allies.
Orochimaru wasn't reassured by the words, although they offered medical assistance perhaps they needed their captives alive. Deidara had knocked the Sannin down, which had led to the serpent breaking their fall. He tried his best to remain awake and he managed the feat for longer than he thought. He fought the man trying to lead him away which resulted in another blue uniformed man entering the scene. They pinned the serpents hands behind his back and he hissed and struggled uselessly. The dogs barked at the thrill of the event, they didn't seem as aggressive now that they were closer. Their tails wagged and they jumped into the air in excitement. Their harness read K9 trackers. Perhaps the dogs were simply meant to seek them out after all. The black haired Sannin felt his body slowly shut down as he had exhausted it with the running. He could hear Deidara call to him but the blond was silenced as men tried to talk to him. Bright lights shone at them and they blinked away from the blinding sensation. Moments later the snake summoner surrendered to the men holding him, having no fight left to work with.
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Kakashi waited at the police station with Saura and Hidan impatiently. The cops constantly came in and out of the station but they only ever reported updates on other cases. When word of the two ninja came in it wasn't what the copy ninja had wanted to hear.
"They are being detained." An officer said as he entered soaking wet, a black dog with flopped ears looking at him with thrilled eyes, his fur wet and tongue lolling out his panting mouth.
"Detained? Where?" Saura asked, "What have they done?"
"They're being detained at a station closer by to where they were found." The police said.
"Where are the other men?" one officer asked.
"Four are holding the ninja. Three are dead." The words silenced the room. The two small built ninja were hardly capable of such destruction. Three full grown men? It wasn't possible, so finally Kakashi broke the silence out of his growing impatience.
"Who killed them?" Kakashi asked.
The officer ignored them and went to lead his dog into another room, the copy ninja watched with annoyed eyes then turned them to Saura.
"Can we go to them?" He asked.
"They can't stop us from visiting." Saura said as he hastily grabbed the keys out of his pockets. They made their way into the car and it revved to life with extra vigour. It screeched on the wet tar roads and spun away into drive at an alarming speed. Hidan was excited by the action, Kakashi more worried for his lover. What if he never saw the male again, what if the Sannin died remembering him as a traitor to their love? It was all a bit too much so the copy ninja tried to not think about the what ifs of the situation. Rain pounded at the window as they drove over the speed limit and cut through red lights. They had no clue what the urgency was, they had no idea of what had just happened to cause such implications.
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"Urgent report sir." A NW soldier said with one hand raised to his head in salute as he addressed the imperial of a higher rank.
"Report." The imperial said as he played with a kunai at his desk, a weapon he had taken off the corpse of a ninja he had just dumped in to a fast flowing river.
"A ninja inside the New World domain has just displayed signs of chakara." The man said urgently.
"I beg your pardon? Under the dome?" Satoru asked turning to face the man fully now.
"Yes sir. The ninja was with an ally in the woods, both of them marked as well." The reporter said, "They were being chased under the pretences of being missing. Officers apprehended them and as soon as they appeared to be surrendering the one ninja lashed out with a jutsu of a low level. It killed three nearby officers and wounded one of the hounds sent on the search."
"Are they detained?" The imperial asked.
"Yes sir, both are wounded from running away." The man concluded, he then extended a hand with a photo clasped inside it. Satoru took the picture and looked at it, he met the eyes of the captured ninja. The golden slitted frames caught his attention first before moving to the blue frightened pair beside it.
"What a surprise. My dear new friend we meet again."
Authors note- yay, some jutsu finally! Been far too long for these poor ninja. Some action was in order… hope you are enjoying the story. I hope to hear from you who are reading.
A huge thanks to the lovely Vampiredoll666, your support is always appreciated~