This ain't no false alarm, I'm actually back ahead of my usually annual schedule with yet another chapter. I wasn't joking when I said my schedule has been a lot lighter lately, and I'm glad because I really miss writing when I have all the time to do. Now onto the reader shoutouts, because they were really uplifting and encouraging.
First goes to the user, nadia4245, for their amazing review on the last chapter. Though it's hard to believe that this story is your favourite Naruto fanfic genre; it is the second most popular fanfiction, if I remembered correctly. However, I humbly appreciate the compliment and your positive reception on my writing, especially since you were a "silent reader" up until now (literally that's me, and proud of it!). And for the Kabuto simping, yeah, I don't know if it's obvious but I actually like his character despite the general distain for him, hehe.
Next shoutout goes to user, Animetortoise. Your review was very interesting to me because I too dread reading battle scenes, normally I would skim over them because I'm afraid I'll miss some crucial details. Writing them is a different story. For instance, the battle between my OC and Itachi/Kisame took so long for me to do because I felt like it was dragging on when it really wasn't when I read it over. So, the fact that you took the time to read my battle scenes even though you normally don't do it says a lot and really delights me. Also, I too love the personal interactions between characters, and the fact you expressed your likeness for how I described them shows my passion for them . And big thanks for the reassurance of taking time between chapters; I know the wait can get tiresome, so I thank you and every reader for their patience.
Final shoutout goes to user, Nanii, for reviewing yet again. Yes, I do respond to reviews to express my gratitude for my readers for their support and patience (it says so on my account bio, I'm pretty sure). Like you did on the last two chapters, and I appreciate it both times.
Finally I just wanna say to you three is thank you for your compliments on my writing and supposed "talent" for it. I guess it's just my love and passion for making this story come to life is seeping through my writing. Either way, I'm truly grateful.
Now that I got the important stuff out of the way, onto the story.
Chapter 31: Stuck in the Dark (Part 5)
Kabuto's POV:
The second hour had just passed and there was still no sign of Hana. I wasn't completely surprised; there were a lot of species of birds living in the area. She probably wanted to locate and contact as much as possible to find out if they possibly saw Katsumi or at this point, anything.
To pass the time, I allowed myself to close my eyes and rest my body against a tree truck while heightened my senses as a precaution for any sort of ambush. Meanwhile, Sasuke sat on the same high branch I was on, probably meditating since his eyes were shut and his breathing started to deepen and slow down.
With all that was happening at once, this moment of peace and quiet was very much needed especially after enduring nothing but stress and worry over Katsumi's wellbeing.
It was astonishing how the feeling of love for someone could feel so damn good yet hurt so bad. Someone who was lovesick could immediately turn into a deranged monster if someone they loved was taken from them. It was like a drug addict going through immense withdrawals because they were desperate to have their fix but couldn't obtain it.
'So in my case, I guess I'm going through… love withdrawals…?' I assumed mentally, grinning to myself in amusement.
"Kabuto." My train of thought immediately broke when a familiar, monotone voice called my name.
I lifted my eyelids only to see the Uchiha boy sitting in the exact position with his legs crossed but this time, he had his eyes open. He also happened to have his dark eyes glued to the sight of dense trees in front of him, refusing to give me eye contact. I adjusted my position on the branch, making myself comfortable without taking my eyes off of my lover's brother. Sasuke did the opposite and glanced down at the ground below us.
"Does Katsumi... hate me?" He asked me in a droning manner.
I stayed silent, trying to find the right words for the right answer. I wasn't sure what to say to him because I didn't want to speak on behalf of Katsumi; she should be the one to answer him, not me. In addition to that, I don't know what the right answer was. If anything, I would tell him what I'd observed rather than the truth. But I couldn't just ignore him because this was probably a demand and not a question, meaning I had no choice but to answer unless if I wanted to be wrapped up in bandages once again.
'Conversing with an Uchiha is like talking to a wild dog: no matter what you say, you'll end up getting barked at...' I huffed in thought, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.
"I'm not sure what kind of answer you're expecting from me." I replied indecisively, watching him as he continued to stare down at the soft earth below.
"In your opinion... do you think she does?" He rephrased forwardly.
I sighed in defeat, accepting the fact that this topic wouldn't be dropped unless if I gave the boy something. 'Both he and Katsumi are inhumanely stubborn...'
"Are you asking this because of the aftermath of your conversation with her?" I inquired rhetorically, already having a good idea about his curiosity.
After a while of not responding to my question, the boy stiffly nodded, confirming my intuition. My lips curved upwards until a sad, understanding smile appeared on my face though the Uchiha boy didn't catch it.
"She doesn't hate you, Sasuke. She never did..." I told him truthfully. "You're her older brother and she cherishes that..."
Sasuke subconsciously snapped his gaze towards me, giving me a dull look. It seemed as if he thought that I was playing a joke on him when that couldn't be further from the truth.
"It doesn't seem like it..." He commented underneath his breath, gluing his eyes back to the ground.
"Because you let her down, Sasuke." I blurted swiftly. "You brushed her off—"
"I have a goal to achieve and nothing is going to stand in my way." He proclaimed determinedly, narrowing his eyes that were still on the soft floor. "She knows that better than anyone…"
"How was she standing in your way when she's been rooting for you throughout the entire journey?" I remarked skeptically, squinting my eyes at him. "She understands where you're coming from, wholeheartedly. But that doesn't mean she's happy about it."
After hearing that rhetorical question of mine, Sasuke became reluctant to speak any further, indicating he saw my point but refused to acknowledge it.
"What I've seen is that she's more than happy to be a part of your life, but you don't seem to want her in it." I stated bluntly. "On top of that, you made it obvious that you have no interest in being a part of her life either."
My lips then parted in awe the second I noticed the raven clenching his fist from hearing my words of wisdom. However, his eyes told a different story; they softened after he allowed himself to analyze in his head.
"I'm not saying you should just give up on your goal. I'm simply advising you to change your outlook in reaching your goal. If you focus on your outlook and not the goal itself, you'll appreciate and be proud of the progress you're making whether you achieve your goal or not." I explained in assurance, pushing up my glasses. "Because right now, your behaviour is affecting your closest relationship and I know you don't want that..."
"This is coming from someone who doesn't have an ambition himself." The boy critiqued stubbornly.
I sighed heavily at his comment, trying to gain back the patience I had for him.
"You're right, I'm in no position to judge." I admitted blankly. "Although, you did ask for my opinion..."
Once again, Sasuke took the vow of silence as he was busy with his personal thoughts.
"And I deeply care about her..." I added softly, lowering my gaze until my eyes reached down to my knees.
This pulled his stoic dark eyes towards my form, urging me to continue.
"All I'm saying is... you should talk to her..." I advised promptly, encouraging the boy. "And actually listen to her..."
"What happens if she doesn't want to talk?" He asked skeptically.
"At least you know where she stands, and you'll know exactly how to fix it." I answered instantly, shrugging my shoulders. "Worst case scenario: she pushes you away. But you two will always be blood related no matter how far away you both are from each other..."
"Hmph." Sasuke grunted lazily.
That gave me the sign that this conversation was over and we both sat in thick silence. Throughout the entire discussion, the Uchiha boy seemed to not pay any attention to what I've told him—to which I expected ever since he bothered to talk to me—but I knew he got my message loud and clear. Now it was all up to him; he had to decide what he wanted to do on his own.
"Trust me, Sasuke. She'll be more than happy to discuss this with you..." I assured gently, giving him a small smile. "Though it doesn't seem like it, she tends to be very generous, down-to-earth, and loyal to those she cares about."
Sasuke glanced at me emotionlessly with his eyes that were identical to Katsumi's, then immediately dropping his gaze.
"I wonder... is she trying to replace me with you?" He asked deeply to himself.
I frowned disapprovingly at him for entertaining that idea. Mainly because he was implying that the reason why Katsumi was with me was to rattle his cage; she wanted him to feel as though she forgot about him. Katsumi had her days when she's petty, but not to that extreme. There was no doubt in my mind that she loves me just as much as I love her. It was a simply fact, not my intuition urging me to believe that. Every time she gazed up at me, her sparkly, onyx, shiny eyes were filled with adoration and love. Every time I held her in my arms, she instantly embraced the comfort of me, refusing to let go. I knew our feelings for each other were mutual, no matter what the boy wanted to believe.
"That's something you should ask her about." I stressed firmly, still defensive about his recent comment. "I can't speak her feelings on her behalf..."
I don't believe he meant it with any disrespect—at least this time—because he wanted to reassure himself that it wasn't him. That was one of Sasuke's biggest flaws: he was unable to take responsibility for his faults. In order to evolve, he had to fix that and come to terms with it. He also had to accept the fact that his sister was more than capable to make her own decisions, whether he liked it or not. It was preventing her from learning real life lessons simply because her big brother was protecting her from the outside world. She had to learn for herself because she wouldn't grow nor mature if she was always being treated like a kid. For instance, it was all up to her if she wanted to be in a romantic relationship with me, not her brother.
Katsumi wasn't a child. She was a mature woman who could fend for herself.
At the very most, Sasuke should be her backbone—her main support because that was all she wanted from him.
My mind was taken out of this subject by a strange flapping noise. Sasuke too noticed this but didn't seem to be awfully intrigued as I was. I glanced up curiously and gasped to see a familiar, bright white bird lowering itself down towards us. I greeted our little companion by holding out my arm as a rest for the bird in which she graciously accepted it. I gave her a moment to regain some of her energy from all that travelling.
"Sorry if I interrupted anything." She apologized politely, glancing at both me and Sasuke.
"You didn't disturb us one bit." I assured kindly, smiling friendly at the little bird.
Hana cooed beamingly in response.
"Did you gather any information?" Sasuke questioned dully.
"Yes, I actually did." Hana answered cheerily as she kept her coal eyes at me.
I guessed she was still a bit intimidated by the Uchiha boy. Couldn't blame the innocent dove.
"According to my sources, it seems that the rogue ninja who took her body away were heading towards a small town." Hana informed briefly.
"Why would they be heading to a populated area with an unconscious body in their hands?" I inquired thoughtfully, coming up with possible answers in my head.
"Probably to recuperate. They must've been exhausted after battle someone as headstrong as Katsumi." Sasuke assumed stoically. "They probably used a genjutsu or some sort of illusion to not grab attention from the townspeople."
"That's true, especially since there probably aren't any ninja residing in the small town." Hana nodded in agreement.
"Where is this town located?" I asked.
"Southwest from where you're standing." Hana answered straightforwardly. "About fifteen miles..."
"Lead the way, Hana." I prompted encouragingly.
"Right." She accepted strongly, immediately taking flight from my fore arm.
"Let's go, Sasuke." I encouraged firmly.
"Hmph." Said raven grunted in bore but nonetheless, he got up on the branch.
Once we were both on our feet, we immediately started traveling through the trees at top speed while Hana soared ahead of us, directing us to our next location.
Katsumi's POV:
If I was looking at myself right now, I would slap myself for looking so stupidly depressed. God, I probably looked like a depressed teenage girl who locked herself in her room from the big bad world and the people living in it. Probably because I f**kin' was a teenage girl to begin with. But I was never this glum and if I was, I would easily lock it away and fake that nothing was the matter.
What was worse than that? Well, how about the fact that I was so glum because of that bastard Itachi?
Speaking of the jackass, where the hell did he go? I completed everything that needed to be done today and as a reward, Itachi sent me back to his room and told me to stay here while he was out. He didn't specify where exactly he was going or what he was going to do. All he said that he was going to leave and told me to stay put, then out he went. Which is why I'm currently sitting on the bed with my chin resting on my knees as I hugged my legs firmly close to my chest. I allowed my mind to take itself to dreamland since there is literally nothing to do in a dark, grey room. The only thing offered to me was books. Now I love books as much as the next person, but bloody hell, I don't feel like reading crap that I already know for like years.
Honestly, if this is how it's going to play out when he was absent, then why the f**k don't they just lock me in a cell?
It was more bearable than having freedom beckoning me to come closer than swerve me with a large, tall wall.
So my other option was to sit there and wait for the heavens to give me something to do. And I hoped they granted something for me soon because sitting here for a long period of time doesn't help at all; my body was itching to do anything but nothing.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss Orochimaru's hideout." I groaned in boredom as I hid my face with my knees.
Then, the sound of knocking wafted from the door and into my ears. I instantly turned my full attention to the entrance/exit and cocked an eyebrow suspiciously; whoever was knocking was on cue. A cue that flushed some of my boredom down the drain.
'But who the hell wanted Itachi at this time?' I wondered curiously in thought.
I jolted when the knocking got louder and more demanding, indicating me to open the door. There was one problem: I wasn't sure if the door was locked or not. Itachi told me that he was planning on sealing the door shut when necessary to which I hated for countless of reasons. Mainly the fact that I wasn't supposed to be treated as a prisoner yet my "dear brother" was doing the complete opposite. Even Pain and Konan disclosed this loud and clear to everyone in the Akatsuki. I assumed the raven wasn't mentally there during that part of the conference.
Following orders, my ass.
Just when I thought the knocker gave up on getting an answer, he or she proceeded in knocking even louder to the point where my curiosity for this person's identity grew. Finally, I slipped off of the bed and slowly walked towards the door. Before I dared to touch it—since there was a chance the raven placed some sort of trap—I activated my Sharingan and examined if there were any sort of chakra pathways that connected to anywhere near the door. I was taken back by discovering lack of any chakra or any hints of a trap. But it doesn't hurt to be safe than sorry.
With my Sharingan still on, I carefully wrapped my fingers around the doorknob. Taking a deep breath in, I rotated the knob to which my surprise, made a one-eighty.
'Itachi left it unlocked. He couldn't have forgotten...' I thought incredulously as my lips parted in awe.
Shrugging that surprise off of my shoulders, I exhaled heavily and opened the door to reveal the suspected knocker. I blinked at the person as I scanned the familiar characteristics with my crimson eyes: long blonde hair, a bright blue eye with one covered with long bangs and an eye scope, evenly tanned skin, and a cocky grin.
Deidara.
"What are you doing here?" I asked grumpily, puzzled that the blonde decided to visit me at Itachi's room.
Did it ever crossed his mind that the raven would possibly be here in his own room? Didn't he mention earlier that he hated him? What was the entire purpose in showing up out of nowhere?
"What?" He pouted playfully with a sly grin. "Are you not happy to see me?"
My Uchiha instincts are tingling; why the hell do I feel as if there was more than what I was seeing?
"Don't forget about ME!" Tobi beamed cheerily, popping out from the side of the doorframe.
'Right. I almost forgot about Tobi...' I groaned mentally, continuing to stare at the two visitors.
"So..." The blonde trailed.
I frowned at his tone. "What?"
"Are you gonna let us in or not, hm?" He questioned expectedly, with a playful frown
"As much as I would love to 'hang out' with you, I don't think Itachi would be too happy about that." I repudiated nonchalantly. "This is his room, so he sort of calls the shots here..."
"Really, now?" Deidara sneered teasingly. "And since when you followed your 'big brother's' rules? I thought you didn't care about him at all."
"Oh, believe me. I want to break his rules in half." I scoffed as I rolled my eyes. "But I can't do anything he prohibits as long as I'm wearing this stupid collar."
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot..." He acknowledged lowly, lightly brushing the object with his fingers. "He's able to seal off any sources of chakra you have, hm. Plus, this thing can choke the living daylights out of you, if I'm right..."
"And right you are, blondie." I replied dryly, ignoring the feeling of the man's fingers gently around my neck.
Using his grip on my neck, Deidara's hand gracefully brushed from the back of my neck to my shoulder on which he gripped firmly as if he was pushing me to do something.
"But still, you shouldn't let someone like Uchiha push you around. Even the boss said that you're not a prisoner, so he shouldn't treat you like one..." The blonde insisted complacently.
I eyed him thoughtfully, genuinely thinking through what he had just said. He did make a solid point. Regardless, I was so close to irking Itachi and even though he never got mad, I refused to be on the other end when he did get furious.
"C'mon, be a good friend and let us in." He pleaded cockily as his hand remained stuck on my shoulder.
"I don't recall becoming your friend, Deidara." I countered bluntly, furrowing my eyebrows at him.
"Well, you hate Uchiha just as much as I do." He remarked vainly, shrugging his shoulders. "So, an enemy of my enemy is my friend, hm."
I blinked at the blonde blankly.
"We figured you were lonely so we came here to cheer you up!" Tobi briefed excitedly.
I rolled my eyes at the boy's words then headed back towards the bed, leaving the door open for the two. Deidara got the signal and invited himself in and his upbeat partner followed suit. As the blonde picked up a wooden chair from Itachi's desk, Tobi slowly closed the door behind him and skipped over towards me and then hopped onto the bed. Deidara positioned the chair right by the bed and sat right on it, making himself comfortable.
"So you've come to your senses, hm..." The blonde smirked amusedly at me.
"Not quite, Goldie Locks." I frowned curtly. "But I'll admit: I don't give a s**t about what my brother thinks or says."
"Good girl." The blonde congratulated jokingly, reaching out his hand to pat me on the head.
Before I retorted, my crimson eyes caught something very peculiar and uncanny to the point I stared at it in awe. Just before his hand made contact with my head, I grabbed his hand—stopping it from moving any closer—and examined it carefully, particularly the palm. My eyes widened in shock when I registered what it actually was.
"Is that a f**kin' mouth on your palm!?" I gawked astonishingly, staring at the hand's sealed lips.
I yelped when I felt the hand's wet, slimy tongue licking my fingers while making that weird moaning sound. I mentally calmed myself down, reassuring that his hands—I assumed he had mouths on both hands—don't bite.
"Yeah, so what, hmph?" He replied defensively. "Is that a problem?"
I slapped on a dull face after he cut in accusingly as he looked back at me with a stern look. I could see where his defensiveness was coming from, but why would he think that I would think low of him after this discovery?
"No, you brainless blonde. I don't..." I replied dryly. "And to be honest, I couldn't care less..."
Hearing this made Deidara gaze at me incredulously, as if he thought I was lying about something. I couldn't help but cock an eyebrow; if he was shocked to hear that I don't care about his hands' mouth, how much crap did he get for this strange trait?
"Really?" He questioned skeptically, raising a blonde eyebrow.
I shook my head. "I've seen weirder s**t in my life; this is 'meh' for me. Plus, I expected a group like the Akatsuki to have weird, strange people with inhuman mutations such as this..." I briefed as I carefully touched the hand's lips.
Deidara scoffed, forcing me to glance at him suspiciously for that sound he made.
"I can't believe it, hm..." He smiled to himself incredulously, looking down at our entwined hands.
"What?" I frowned curiously.
"It's funny how you were born into a formidable, wealthy, powerful family, inherited their visual prowess... yet you're so... different... from the rest of them..." He analyzed amusedly, then his blue eyes gazed at me. "You're a lot less judgemental than I originally thought. Dare I say, you sound humble… more so than a lot of people, let alone the Uchiha Clan…"
I eyed him thoughtfully, processing the words my ears collected in my head. Deidara's use of tone and voice took back my personal opinion on him. He wasn't as dense nor ignorant as I originally thought—and I didn't think that just because he was a blonde, I wasn't that shallow. My point was, he carried deep intelligence through his surroundings and personal experiences—I admired those with such a quality. But, it was showing at the same time because he was an S-rank criminal who shredded more flesh than a slaughter house.
Maybe that was the message he was telling me: just because you're a heartless murderer who claimed the lives of innocent people... doesn't mean it's who you really are as a person.
I'd take his word for it only because there was undeniably some truth behind it—and I was stressing the word some in this context—but I don't think it would help him get away with his criminal record.
Good luck telling the executioners.
"People tend to judge just because they can observe you from afar. They feel as though they immediately know who you are, they become quick to assume everything. If you don't meet their expectations, you're shunned. People make it seem as if society doesn't believe certain people deserve to be treated as equals..." I told him insightfully, looking through his brilliant blue gaze.
"Heh, that's profound for you to say. Are you telling me your life story, hm?" The blonde commented playfully.
I snorted a laugh as I stared picking at the fidgety mouth on the male's palm.
"'Never judge a book by its cover.'" I mused aloud, never taking my eyes off of his hand. "You hear that quote so often, yet it still falls on a lot of deaf ears..."
"Because either people are too arrogant to care or have no clue the significance behind it. Denial can play a part in it too..." He remarked swiftly.
I nodded in agreement. "They know it applies to them; it applies to everyone, actually. You take out a random book, scan its cover, then immediately put it back and repeat until they find a book cover that's pleasing... only to discover that the story is nothing but a bore. Everyone knows that the story is more important yet they still do it because it's easier to assume than actually reading the book." I described contemplatively. "People do the same thing to humans: they see the person, observe them for solid minutes, then immediately come to the conclusion to what they believe is who that person really is without actually socializing with them and getting to know them. They know it's wrong, but it's easier to make an assumption than actually conversing..."
I could feel Deidara's stare getting heavier on me as he caught onto where this speech was coming from. This was probably the reason why his loose grip on my hands got a bit tighter as I continued.
"Everyone has the ability to judge others, including those who are close to you... even your own family..." I muttered darkly, shutting my eyes. "You'd think that because they're your family, they'll automatically love you with whatever flaws you have when in actuality... they believe that because they're your family, it gives them a 'right' for them to say and do whatever they please by the fact that you're not something they want..."
I flinched in shock when I heard the blonde in front of me chuckling out of the blue. I couldn't help but look dumbfounded to which he saw this and took the liberty to explain.
"So, I take it that you accept me for who I am, right?" He smirked brightly.
His smile of his forced my lips to curve upwards too.
"Work on your personality and maybe you'll get there..." I replied mockingly.
Deidara's face fell into a displeased frown. "Hey, I'll have you know that I have a good personality, hmph!" He groused defensively.
"According to Tobi: your only fan..." I smirked cockily.
To reassure him that there were no hard feelings, I placed a friendlier smirk to which he responded with a heavy sigh.
"Speaking of the idiot, where is he?" He remarked lazily, scanning the whole room.
I glanced to my right, thinking that the boy was still seated next to me, but to my surprise, he was gone. I gasped in disbelief and I too frantically searched the room for him. This came as a surprise because the damn kid slipped under our radar without any difficulty. I didn't detect him even with my Sharingan still on. With this in mind, who knew how long he was gone for?
This was concerning only because I had a feeling since coming here that Tobi wasn't supposed to be left alone for the sole reason of screwing something up. This also gave me the belief that Deidara was more of his babysitter than his partner, which explained why the blonde was so on edge with or without the hyperactive child. Unfortunately, because of this, whatever disaster Tobi caused, there was a good chance that Deidara would get s**t for it. So now, it was sort of crucial to find Tobi before Tobi found something to break.
But just before we were both ready to do a physical search, the bathroom door opened by which Deidara and I turned our heads only to see Tobi standing there in the doorframe. We blinked confusingly at him, urging him to explain himself.
"Sorry, I just had to do my duty and I didn't want to interrupt anything." Tobi explained cheerily, skipping over to the bed.
"Dammit, Tobi! Do you know how much trouble I'll be in if you're out of my sight, hmph!?" Deidara scolded irritably.
"Well, you guys were talking about deep, intimate stuff, and I didn't want to ruin the moment..." The man-child shrugged prickly.
"Intimate?" I repeated skeptically, until I looked down and instantly knew what he was referring to.
The blonde in front of me blinked innocently at me. His sudden change in facial expression caught me off guard, until I realized he was actually trying to communicate me with his eyes. Before I attempted to ask, I gasped to realize that I was still holding his damn hand—with both hands tightly. I resisted the urge to fluster but I still felt my cheeks getting warm as I avoided eye contact with him. After what seemed like a year, I finally released my grip on his hands and he gladly retracted, positioning it comfortable on his lap. For the most part, he probably didn't mind it one bit, but just the thought of me grasping his mutated hand firmly was too awkward for my case.
"C'mon, I'm taking you out, hm." Deidara beckoned eagerly, getting up from his seat.
I sat there astonished, blinking at the blonde for the words that came out of his mouth.
"Why?" It was literally the only thing that managed to leave my lips.
"Like I said earlier: you're not a prisoner. Yet you're letting your brother treat you like one, hm." The blonde explained evenly.
My lips pursed in consideration as I remained on the bed, frozen.
"Besides, someone has to show you around, hm." He coaxed temptingly.
"Believe me, I really wanna get out of this dark hole but—"
"But, what? Your brother is gonna give you a new one?" Deidara interrupted mockingly, unfazed by my reluctance. "What can he possibly do to you, hm? I mean, you survived living with him at one point..."
'Yeah, but that's when he was in his "kind, gentle, protective big brother" phase...' I countered in thought as my eyes were still glued to his.
"What about Pain?" I remarked hesitantly, folding my arms. "He ordered me to not leave Itachi's sight..."
"He also ordered him to lock you in his bedroom door when he's busy, and here I am, standing in the fool's room." He contended wittingly.
That might be true, but the Leader of the Akatsuki was the only person that I was nervous to be around with out of the entire group. Hell, his appearance alone already gave me a good idea of how intimidating and how powerful he was. I had no interest whatsoever to witness his abilities firsthand, especially after if he figured out that I was disobeying his rules. My plan was to live and to do that, I had to make double-sure I wouldn't come close to even upsetting the man.
"Itachi's not gonna be too happy about that~!" Tobi sang warningly. "He's gonna kill you~!"
"Shut up, Tobi!" Deidara snapped in annoyance.
I huffed tetchily at the two's behaviour.
"Are you coming or not, hm?" The blonde asked promptly. "I heard that you've finished what needed to be done today, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
The male in front of me rolled his crystal blue eyes. "So, you deserve to enjoy your free time. And Uchiha isn't gonna be back for a while; he won't know that you were even gone, hm."
"But, Deidara... Itachi's the hardest person to deceive. He'll eventually find out and then he'll—"
"Zip it, Tobi! I'm not talking to you, hmph!" Deidara hissed coldly, glaring at the man.
I frowned up at the impatient blonde. "Don't shut him down like that, Deidara. He's right: we'll both get out asses kicked if we got caught." I nagged in agreement, patting poor Tobi's shoulder.
"And you care because...?" Deidara trailed irritably, crossing his arms.
"Listen, Itachi and Pain aren't the only people I'm worried about." I groaned, rubbing a temple to ease my sudden headache. "There's a chance of bumping into Sasuke, Kabuto and maybe f**kin' Orochimaru. That could lead to unnecessary conflict and maybe a full on battle..."
Deidara responded to my point with a cocky grin. "If your only problem is being seen, then I have just the thing to prevent that, hm..."
With that, he took off and exited out of Itachi's bedroom without giving us any indication of where he was going. I sighed and stretched my tensed muscles as Tobi sat next to me in silence.
"I've never seen Deidara this happy to hang out with a prisoner before." Tobi commented interestedly, resting his head back against his linked hands. "As much as I respect my partner, he doesn't particularly like 'people'."
I glanced at the boy incredulously, taken back by his sudden change in tone. In that rare moment, this man-child grew 20 years older in mere seconds.
"What? I don't act stupid all the time..." He defended innocently, holding his hands up in surrender.
Wow, his brain grew younger as fast as it grew older just a moment ago.
"Acting?" I repeated suspiciously, cocking an eyebrow at him.
"Aw, you're making fun of me, Katsumi!" Tobi sulked disappointedly as his head wilted. "And I thought you were my friend..."
Just seeing the way he moped was enough bring out a laugh within me. He reminded me of the knuckle-headed blonde, Naruto, and that reminder surprisingly brought my mood up. Moments like this made me miss the old days back at the Leaf Village with all of my closest friends.
"It's not funny, Katsumi!" He whined prickly, crossing his arms in a childish matter.
"Oh, Tobi..." I chuckled softly, patting the boy on his head. "Don't take it the wrong way, I'm not laughing at you. It's just the thought of the Akatsuki—an S-rank gang of ruthless and deadly rogue ninja—recruited someone like you."
"Oh... well, my jutsu is like no other. Lord Pain had no choice but to accept me into his group!" He beamed confidently, giving me a thumbs-up. "Yup, I'm that strong... no one can beat me!"
Normally, someone who inflated themselves about their abilities, I don't take them as seriously as the next guy. But in his case, I was a bit wary only because the reputation of this infamous organization was something I always kept in mind no matter who I encountered from said group. I mean, they wouldn't let just anyone in as one of their own unless if their abilities met their close-to-impossible expectations.
'I'll take his word for it... only because something tells me I'll soon experience what he's capable of, eventually.' I thought cautiously as my intuition instincts kicked in.
"I respect your confidence, Tobi." I commented lightly.
"Thank you, Katsumi!" Tobi chirped, hastily pulling me in for a hug. "You're the greatest EVER! I'm glad Itachi suggested in getting you here to live with us!"
I gasped in hearing that fact slipping out of the kid's big mouth. Whether if it was meant to be kept a secret or not, this mere detail did nothing but boggle my mind to the point where I couldn't think straight. Hell, I was no longer fazed by the bear hug Tobi was giving me even though I was starting to have difficulty in breathing.
Itachi recommended me to be the Akatsuki's medic? That couldn't be possible; both he and his gill-faced partner claimed that Pain requested in capturing me. Unless they lied in order for me to believe that and make it easier in recruiting me. But it wasn't just the fact that Itachi wanted me to be their medic. Why did he advocated that idea so much, he accomplished in convincing someone like Pain? Better question: why did he lie about it to me?
Was it all to keep his glorious pride? Was it something personal he was keeping from his allies?
Now that I think about it, I noticed my brother acting weird as if he wasn't completely himself. Along with my previous discovery of his paleness and dramatic weight loss, I caught on to his constant heavy breathing, fatigue, and his slow movements. Any other person in his surroundings wouldn't blink twice about this, but as a medic ninja—and his sister—I could sense the smallest things wrong with him despite him hiding it so well. So seeing this made me desperate to know what was wrong with him.
It made perfect sense if that were the case. Knowing Itachi, he wouldn't trust any random doctor to care for someone as infamous and unforgivable as him—never mind a highly-skilled doctor like myself. Apparently, my dear older brother was confident that I would help him care for his health because aside from everything, we were family.
And my answer to that: let's just say that my medical ninjutsu skills should be revoked if I didn't treat him. Nothing more.
With his suggestion to recruit me informed by Tobi and my suspicion of Itachi's health problems, my gut was telling me that being kidnapped by the Akatsuki wasn't particularly because of Pain.
Itachi was sick. If not, sicker than what he was slipping up unintentionally.
"I'm back." A familiar, smug voice called proudly.
Both Tobi and I laid our eyes on the blonde who marched back into the room with something peculiar in his hand. He shot the man-child a demanding glare—probably signalling him to remove his arms around me. Tobi immediately got the message and retracted his arms as fast as he could, earning a huff from the cocky blonde. He turned his attention towards me and smirked down at me while I eyed the object in his hand curiously.
"What's that?"
"Oh, a robe." He answered casually, beckoning me to stand up.
I slowly got up from Itachi's bed and slid closer to Deidara until I stood within the surrounding of his personal bubble. He then held out the object in his grip in front of me, giving me a better look at said robe.
"How could a robe help?" I questioned doubtfully.
"There's a big hood attached to it." He remarked insistently, throwing a reassuring smile. "As long as you wear the hood, no one familiar with you will notice it's you, hm."
"Minor detail, blondie: there isn't a robe that covers my chakra." I commented wittingly, rolling my eyes. "At some point, someone will recognize my chakra and in no time, your S-rank gang is f**ked."
"That's not my problem, hm." He claimed defensively. "You're an Uchiha; just cast a genjutsu or do something to mask your chakra."
The blonde's idea was a smart and easy method. Problem was, the stupid chakra collar around my neck restricted my use of most of my chakra, meaning I could only use a small fraction of it so that I wouldn't collapse from complete exhaustion. As long as I was careful, I was good to go.
Deidara smiled gladly at the sight of readiness in my eyes and gracefully threw the robe over my shoulders. He waited for me to slip both my arms through the baggy, loose sleeves then positioned it properly on my shoulders. He did the honours in buttoning the robe closed as I eyed him both warily and deeply. Though I had encountered the blonde earlier, this was the first time being this close to him. It was weird to say the least mainly because literally twenty-four hours ago, he hated my guts so much, both he and that grey-haired a**hole Hidan wanted to see me locked up somewhere. And that doesn't even take into account that he and my brother weren't buddies. The blonde-haired male openly expressed his hatred and grudge against the raven, whether if said male cared to notice or not. I couldn't really blame him for hating on my older brother—either Itachi Uchiha was stoic to the point where he wouldn't acknowledge the fact that you were a human being like him or he was the biggest a**hole that had ever walked on the face of this earth, though he would deny and say that he was just "speaking the truth".
On the other hand, I could sort of see where Itachi was coming from. If my theory about him being ill was true, then it would make sense as to why he hadn't acknowledged Deidara or apparently, everyone. He was so concerned about his health and trying to find a way to heal himself, he didn't realize that he was blocking off a bunch of his allies—if you could call the Akatsuki an "ally". If I had to guess, the blonde wasn't significant so it was more likely that he simply didn't give any sort of damn about him rather than actually hating the man.
Besides, when was the last time Itachi actually disliked someone? He was more of a gloomy, dark cloud in the sky than a human who hated people.
Frankly, I couldn't really blame Itachi for disliking the blonde even a little—there were some traits he carried that even irritated me, and I barely knew the guy. On top of that, he didn't like me… until now. At this point, he seemed to be okay with me. But so fast. After a couple of blinks, we were "bonding". So much so, he was putting so much effort in getting me to spend the rest of the day with him.
"There you go, hmph!" He beamed proudly, grabbing my shoulders with a bright grin on his face. "It fits perfectly on you."
"Uh, yeah… it does…" I stammered unsurely, unable to give a proper response.
"Now, let's get out of here!" He proclaimed strongly, making his way towards the door.
"Is Tobi coming with us?" I asked suddenly, looking back at said boy who was now standing by the bed.
"I don't have much of a choice, unfortunately." He replied discouragingly, eyeing his partner sharply while Tobi seemed unfazed by it. "It's either him tagging along or get slapped around by Pain, hm."
"Alright then." I scoffed gladly as a sudden surge of happiness surfaced from within. "Let's go, Tobi!"
"Right behind you, Katsumi!" He exclaimed gleamingly, following me out of Itachi's room.
Deidara took the lead as Tobi and I followed him out of the exit. After treading through the long, complex hallways and slid through a long, dark tunnel, we finally reached the end but instead of the outside world greeting us, it was instead a vast, large cave. I examined my new surroundings and realized that there was no visible exit anywhere. This brought a new curiosity as to how Itachi and his pet fish entered the hideout when they captured me if there wasn't any door. Before I bothered to ask, the blonde proceeded in walking further into the rocky room. It wasn't until then when I saw a large pond near the middle of the vast caved space. He casually walked on the liquid surface towards a gigantic boulder positioned against the rocky wall. Tobi then followed his partner, leaving me standing there idly.
I wasn't sure how long exactly I was standing there for—looking like a complete idiot—but I was brought back to reality when I noticed both Tobi and Deidara eyeing me expectedly, wondering what I was doing.
Putting aside my embarrassment, I quickly made my way towards the two who were standing around a few meters away from the boulder while they focused their chakra to the bottoms of their feet, keeping them up on the surface of water.
"So how are we going to get out of here?" I asked dully as I approached them. "I don't see an opening anywhere..."
Deidara let out a cocky laugh. "Wow. Either I expected too much from you—being an Uchiha—or Itachi went so low, he knocked you out, hm."
My face subconsciously fell by his blunt words. To be frank, I highly doubted the blonde intentionally tried to bring my mood down. Regardless, it still stung because that jackass was responsible for torturing and kidnapping me when I was simply minding my own f**kin' business.
"It wasn't necessary for him to do that. You kinda get the idea that he tends to pour salt on deep wounds, hm." The blonde remarked considerately, hinting no ill-will.
I flinched at his heartfelt demeanour and snapped my attention towards him, only to see him staring at me deeply. He then flashed an infectious smirk at me, attempted to encourage me to smile as well. I was able to force a small smile just to spare his feelings and mood.
"C'mon Deidara!" Tobi whined impatiently, earning an annoyed glare from said male. "Open the hideout already!"
"Then why don't you open it yourself, hmph!?" His partner snapped in exasperation.
"I don't know the hand signs to do that, partner." The boy droned impatiently, not noticing how aggravated the blonde was just by making words.
"Why not? You're part of the Akatsuki, right?" I questioned puzzlingly as I adjusted the robe the blonde lent me.
Tobi gave me his attention to answer my question graciously.
"Apparently Master Pain doesn't trust me to have the right to open the hideout myself." He causally noted, shrugging his shoulders unsurely.
"Because you're a damn MAN-CHILD!" Deidara retorted aggressively, his hastily loud tone made me recoil in shock.
"Damn it, blondie! Why don't you scream a little louder so we can get our heads cut off if that's what you desire!?" I grumbled in annoyance, holding one ear.
Deidara simply huffed at my words and silently weaved a series of hand signs. After making what seemed to be the last hand seal, a loud but gradual quake shook the earth below our feet as we watched the giant boulder slowly slid itself to the right, slowly revealing the bright outside world to us. Once the quake and the boulder's movements came to an end, the three of us slowly exited the dark hideout. The large lake inside the hideout presented its other portion outside of the group's shelter, extending from the inside to meters from the structure itself outside. I took this time to absorb the fresh breeze and sunlight shining down on me once again. Coming from a person who literally lived in the dark, being able to step out of hiding was a blessing given from above.
Times like this made me think how much so many people take things like this for granted.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" An assertive voice questioned me from behind.
It broke my train of thought which was when I realized I was so drawn to the beauty of nature, I totally allowed my feet to go where it pleased. I spun around and immediately saw Deidara standing there with his arms crossed and an amused look on his face. Meanwhile, Tobi stood idly besides him, playfully balancing on his feet with his hands behind his back like what a child does.
"I thought you're taking me out on an 'adventure'..." I commented expectedly, frowning at him as I walked over towards the pair.
"Don't worry your pretty little head, hm." He mused slyly, slowly lifting up the lower part of his cloak. "I'm taking you out, but not by foot..."
I watched him carefully as he revealed a dull coloured bag strapped around his lower waist. Deidara didn't seem to mind that my eyes were engrossed on him as he slowly unzipped the bag, waiting for any sort of reaction I might let out. He then froze and motioned me to come closer. Hesitantly, I moved towards him until we were inches away from each other. He then beckoned me to look what was inside of the bag and I graciously did. All I saw was a hill of some white substance reaching the bag's upper half, leading me to furrow my eyebrows perplexedly. I glanced up at him and was greeted by the sight of his proud smirk. I brought my eyes back to whatever was sitting in the blonde's bag, trying to understand what he wanted me to see.
All that I came up with was that it was a white blob of some sort. That was literally it.
"Well?" The blonde mused promptly with a smile still glued on his face.
I straightened myself and looked at him blankly. "I'm not entirely sure what you're showing me, Deidara." I replied bluntly.
Deidara didn't take much offence to that as much as he brushed it off, topping it off with a laugh. He then slowly slipped his hand into the bag and let it rest there for a while as he eyed me in amusement to which I frowned.
"You'll know soon enough, hm..." He assured coyly.
Deidara then pulled out his hand and held it out for me to see the mouth on his palm—still baffled about it, by the way—chewing whatever was in the bag. It chewed and chewed without a care in the world. I'm not gonna lie, it was intriguing to watch; I couldn't keep my eyes off of it.
After giving a moment for hand to chew, it spat the piece of white blob with its wet tongue. Once its lips had sealed, Deidara clenched his hand into a fist and held it like that for a few seconds.
"Now, wait till you see this..." He hyped dramatically as his smile stretched wider than possible. "One of my most remarkable masterpieces, hm."
I've got to admit, the blonde was amazing at presentation. But I wondered if he was just as good in delivering. He slowly opened his hand while I watched intently, anticipating for something awesome to come out.
Then, disappointment struck me real bad when my mind processed that there was nothing but a small sculpture of some type of bird. I didn't want to be an a**hole and tell him this was amazing if he were a five-year-old child with no thumbs. But I couldn't hide the disappointment and cringe on my face; that was a drawback of being an open book. I also felt really awkward about it merely because the blonde was eyeing me, waiting for me to say something. It was already clear to me that Deidara—as much as he seemed to be a cool, laid-back guy with the exception around his partner—was one of those people who got defensive pretty quickly because he doesn't handle constructive criticism well.
My main concern was pissing off the blonde with my bluntness because in order for me to survive living with the Akatsuki, I had to at least have one of them on my side for protection.
Tobi doesn't count because what good could a ninja with a brain of a child do for me?
"Not impressed, hm." He spoke assumedly, sounding unfazed by it.
"Don't take it personally, Deidara..." I swiftly defended.
Deidara scoffed slyly at my defence, placing a hand on my shoulder. He moved his hand a little closer to me, getting a better look at the small sculpture. We both watched it spread open his wings and flew up from the male's palm. It obtained gravitational energy once it reached a large height above our heads.
"This is the final touch." He proclaimed exuberantly, clapping his hands to make a Ram hand seal.
"Hah!"
I snapped my gaze up only to see a large puff of smoke erupting from the small bird that levelled itself high in the air, disappearing for a few moments. The second the smoke started to thin out, my jaw dropped by the bird evolved greatly in size. I didn't have to see the bird; it was more than obvious that it grew ten times its size by the fact that it covered the sun from shining a huge area around us.
Finally what seemed like forever, the once small, petite bird transformed into a gigantic bird; a powerful force to be reckoned with. Its flapping wings formed strong gusts of wings, demonstrating the strength the thing had been made by a small piece of blob. It lowered itself until it reached the earth floor, landing softly in front of us. My eyes widened in awe, getting an incredible view of this creation made by the blonde himself. My guess was that this was his technique—his style of ninjutsu. I was impressed; I had never seen anything like this before.
It was both strange but fascinating at the same time.
"Now, what do you think, hm?" The creator asked smugly, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"It's... I've never seen anything like it before..." I gawked underneath my breath.
I could tell the blonde approved my words by the soft, genuine grin on his face as he looked at me. Meanwhile, my eyes were glued to the giant bird, waiting patiently for us to climb aboard.
"I knew you'd like it." He responded brightly, gripping my shoulder tightly. "You're the select few who admires originality, hm..."
I finally removed my attention on the bird and glanced at the blonde, giving him a lighthearted smirk. Deidara gleamed appreciatively until his forgotten partner killed his mood completely.
"Deidaraaaaaa~, are you done flirting nooooowww?" Tobi whined childishly, eager to start the adventure his buddy planned.
Hearing that immediately earned the boy a death glare shot at him coldly by the blonde himself. I held back a chuckle when I noticed his tanned cheeks were graced in a shade of light pink out of embarrassment while Tobi stood there giggling at his partner's reaction.
"C'mon, partner! Lighten up, already…" He soothed playfully, waving him off nonchalantly. "I'm just joking, don't take it too seriously or else people are gonna think that you're actually catching feelings~!"
That last sentence struck a huge nerve from the blonde while I stood aside, trying my damn hardest not to burst out in laughter or else I would feel his wrath too. Tobi was a more suitable sacrifice if the blonde urged to kill as dark it might sound. Speaking of which, I noticed that his hands were both twitching in fury. By then, it was evident that Deidara didn't give any sort of f**k as he released a torrent surge of anger. Out of rage, he formed a Ram hand seal then used the remnants of the blob used for the giant bird to create miniature versions of it. They soared rapidly towards the man-child by which he screamed in a high-pitched voice that irritated my ears.
"NO, DEIDARA! DON'T PLEEEEEASE!" He screamed for mercy, instantly started running away from the birds that were only a few inches away behind him. "I DIDN'T MEAN IT! I'M SOOOORRRYYY!"
"That's not gonna cut it, TOBI!" The blonde barked angrily, forming the same hand sign as before.
Tobi proceeded in running with incredible speed away from the little birds to save his life. In all honesty, I had no clue what the big deal was. I mean, they were just birds that—at the very most—leave the boy with some ouchies and that was it. Why was he making such a big deal about a few birds made out of white blob? Despite creating the giant bird that remained standing by patiently, it didn't demonstrate the potential in Deidara's jutsu that caught the eyes of the Akatsuki Leader. At least that was how I saw it.
A moment passed and it was that very same moment when I had my words held in front of me and shoved down my throat for my ignorant viewpoint.
Once the birds were an inch away from the boy, Deidara let out another "Hah!" and the next thing I knew, explosions erupted in which engulfed Tobi entirely. My jaw dropped in disbelief as both the blonde and I watched the entire field in front of us abused by the explosions that were once little birds. I side-glanced at Deidara who didn't seemed the least upset about possibly murdering his comrade; in fact, he seemed a bit relieved. He was getting such a thrill of the display of action in front of his eyes. Meanwhile, I stood there awkwardly as the explosions came to end; I didn't know what to do at this point and I especially had no clue what I should do once we realized the snappy blonde "unintentionally" killed a fellow member.
'Literally, how the f**k is he gonna explain this to his Leader? Worst, how the bloody f**k am I gonna explain all of this to Itachi!?' I wondered to myself anxiously as I watched the dark smoke rising from the now burnt ground.
"Stupid idiot…" The bomber grumbled lowly, glaring at the spot his partner last stood before the eruptions took place. "I told him to watch his mouth and the fool never learns, hm…"
Out of sudden instincts, I threw a punch at the male's upper arm, to which he responded by a painful yelp. He hissed at the after-pain and gripped his upper arm tightly to tame the pain.
"Are you kidding me, Deidara?" I gawked incredulously. "Are you out of your mind!? You tried to kill the man and now we don't know if he's even alive! What is everybody else gonna think when they learn about this?"
"Calm down, don't get yourself in a twist." He groaned irritably, rubbing his upper arm. "He's not dead, I can assure you, hm."
"How do you know that for sure?" I questioned skeptically as I crossed my arms.
"Nothing can touch the boy; no jutsu, weapon, etc. Anything that attempts to hit him will simply just pass through him as if he were a ghost, hm." He justified evenly, stretching his right arm to test the amount of pain it endured.
For a moment of watching him, Deidara grunted and hissed in pain when he tried stretch his arm as much as possible then glared at the ground in defeat. I didn't necessarily meant to hurt the blonde. Okay, maybe I did, but not to this extent; it was during the heat of the moment and I wanted to emphasize how stupid his actions were that led up to this result. Out of guilt, I gently gripped his wrist and positioned his arm closer to me. I activated my healing chakra and placed it firmly on the area my fist kissed. I could tell right off the bat that I used a lot more strength than I intended on that punch because the muscle under the skin hardened, forming a severe bruise. That just made me feel even guiltier. It was all Deidara's idea to take me out and offered me the opportunity of freedom, yet I went ahead and hit the poor kid.
Was it just me or did I have the tendency in assuming guys were jackasses when in actuality, they weren't half bad or not bad at all?
"That punch was uncalled for." I mumbled softly, staring to the side as his gaze weighed heavily on me.
The blonde scoffed as a response. I shot an incredulous look at him.
"Don't worry about it, hm." He grunted assuredly.
I huffed a smile out of me and glued my eyes on the arm I was healing.
"So, is Tobi gonna be alright?" I asked inquisitively, breaking the long moment of silence that started getting awkward.
Deidara nodded in confirmation. "Why else did we recruit someone as annoying and unbearable as him? If it weren't for that ability of his, he would be long dead, hm."
"I guess that's true, but don't you think you're a little… mean to him?" I analysed hesitantly, not wanting to end up where Tobi was right now.
The blonde parted his lips to defend his actions, until he was instantly interrupted.
"Probably in your perception, Miss Katsumi! But I don't take it as mean… I take more like tough love!" A third, familiar voice responded cheerily for the blonde.
We turned our heads towards the voice and sure enough, there was Tobi without a cut or bruise on him; just dirt all over his cloak. He happily marched to us as I stood there baffled by the boy's condition. Whether I was reminded that he was invincible or not, it doesn't change the fact that I was very impressed—no, astonished—by how true the claim was. Hell, it didn't even look like he was attacked by a series of explosives. It looked more like he went digging in a deep hole just for fun. On top of that, he didn't seem the least angry nor upset at his partner for pulling that stunt, trying to kill him.
If someone did that to me… well, I wouldn't know myself because once my fit of rage subsided, I would get a clear view of a field that was mostly covered by blood and a pile of ripped muscles and organs in front of me.
Touché, you could say.
"Tobi, you're alright." I remarked in disbelief as my eyes widened by the sight of his perfection physical condition.
"Yes, I am." He chirped in assurance, giving me the thumbs-up.
Tobi then laid his attention on his blonde headed partner, who—at the very least—wasn't as impressed as I was by his "comrade's" return.
"That was quite the performance you put on for Katsumi, partner." He applauded supportively, clapping his hands.
"Keep running your mouth and I'll give you a grand FINALE, hmph!" The blonde snapped coldly, subconsciously moving towards the boy to emphasize his anger.
I flinched in shock when I almost lost my balance thanks to the blonde hastily moving forward. It came to my suspicion that there were no boundaries for these two; one would cross the line verbally while the other would cross it physically. At some point, someone would eventually see us—most likely their allies—and that wouldn't do anything but get our asses kicked then killed.
If it was "mandatory" for them to duke it out, by all means, they could do whatever. But just not in front of their hideout in broad daylight.
Before Deidara swung a hard fist at his partner, I stepped in front of his right side and firmly pressed my hand on his chest. Thanks to this action, it prevented the blonde from charging at Tobi. Displeased by this, he snapped his glare at me to which I stood there, looking at him sternly.
"Deidara, snap out of it. You're just putting fuel into the fire by reacting to Tobi's comments." I told him demandingly. "He's not worth the energy."
Deidara's face loosened thanks to my words, however he grunted in defeat and backed off. Trusting that he would now behave himself, I moved out of his way and glanced firmly at the boy.
"And you, Tobi. I advise you to either think before you open your mouth or shut it entirely. Stop throwing verbal punches at Deidara; he's your partner and you should respect him as one." I frowned disapprovingly, folding my arms. "You know how much trouble Deidara will get in because of you testing his patience."
After my brief moment of nagging, said child sulked in disgrace for his unacceptable behaviour. That and getting a no-no reaction from me. Apparently he worshipped me—not sure if that was a good thing or bad thing.
"I'm sorry, Katsumi!" He bawled loudly, throwing his arms around my waist to get my forgiveness. "I promise I'll behave!"
I grunted in pain as I could feel myself loosing air. After many attempts, I successfully freed both of my hands and used them to try to push Tobi away from me. But because his arms were fastened tightly around my midsection, it was close to impossible; he didn't seemed fazed by the fact that I made it evidently clear I didn't want any sort of hug from him.
"Tobi, STOP!" I barked in distress, losing my patience with him at that very moment.
After my abrupt outburst, Deidara, Tobi and I stood there in dead silence. We were hesitant to say something after that outburst of mine. The blonde and I looked at each other wordlessly then we slowly laid out eyes on the boy who was still latched onto me.
"Okay." He simply agreed and instantly stepping away from me.
I was baffled by the entire thing, my body remained frozen in the position it was last in just before my loud, demanding voice occurred.
"Okay…" I sighed in relief, glancing back at the blonde. "Can we go now?"
"Please, hm." He scoffed hopefully.
The three of us made our way closer to the giant bird which surprisingly didn't move a muscle since it had been created. Tobi focused his chakra to his bottom feet and jumped onto the large and equally tall bird. I glared up at the bird's back in frustration, visibly annoyed that I could do the same only because the small amount of chakra I was allowed to use was depleted thanks to making a s**t ton of antidotes. On top of that, thanks to this stupid collar, it also slowed down my Spiritual and Physical Energy from making more chakra. This was the worst; I was basically an ordinary civilian.
"Are you not gonna jump on or what, hm?" The blonde questioned promptly, eyeing me weirdly.
"If I could, I would…" I huffed frustratingly. "I barely have any chakra left to do anything…"
"Oh, I see." He breathed understandingly.
"Yep. Sucks, doesn't it?" I groaned, scratching my head.
"Well then, let me help you, hmph!" He chirped brightly.
"And how are you gonna do—HEY?!" I was cut off by a pair of arms pulling me in.
One was wrapped behind my back while the other swerved its way under my knees, lifting me off of the ground. Before I knew it, I was being carried bridal style. I was taken back by this sudden gesture with my eyes widened, my mouth parted, and my cheeks burning bright red. I snapped my gaze at the blonde who gave me a charming smirk as he adjusted his hold on me. Before I knew it, he hopped high from the ground as I squeezed my eyes shut and held onto Deidara out of anxiety from being held against gravity. After a soft bump, I opened one eye and scanned my surroundings to see if we were still in midair. I exhaled heavily then opened my eyes, only to have Deidara being the first thing I saw. I assumed that he was watching me intently because he jolted when I took notice of this. A moment of silence followed which made it all the more uncomfortable because here I was, holding onto the blonde like a child holding onto their favorite teddy bear. Meanwhile, said blonde held me in his arms, looking at me deeply like a knight gazing at the princess he saved and just so happened to be in love with.
Before it got more awkward than possible—or worse, Tobi taking notice of this view—I nodded thankfully at the blonde, who didn't hold back in making a weird face by my sudden smile.
"Thank you, Deidara."
After a couple of blinks, Deidara cleared his throat and slowly placing me on my feet.
"No problem, hm." He replied hoarsely, retracting his arms from my form.
"Aw, that was nice of you, Deidara." Tobi commented excitedly.
"Shut up, Tobi!" The blonde hissed bitterly.
"Deidara?" I warned stressfully as I held his shoulder, earning his attention. "Calm down."
Said blonde breathed heavily, releasing any anger within him then nodded at me. Impressed, I gave him an encouraging smile to which he smiled back.
"Now let's go." I prompted brightly.
With a solid nod, Deidara made the ram hand seal once again with a slyly grin on his face. Seconds past when I felt the bird we were standing on lifted off the ground. I watched in amazement as it flapped its large wings and increased its height as the seconds went by. I moved next to the blonde who welcomed me graciously.
"We have lift off, hmph!" He proclaimed proudly.
I have to end it here guys. Literally, this chapter is WAY longer than I anticipated. But I'm glad I finished it in less than a year. Thanks again to those who actively and silently support this story, and as always, make sure you keep posted on when I update. With that, I'll see you after a few months, lol.