Hey guys, welcome back to another chapter of my story! As always, sorry for the long wait, I was prepping to survive the upcoming year. I was also working on my other stories that have yet to be posted. I'm thinking of posting the first chapter of my other stories and see if people want more of it. Otherwise, I'm just going to focus on posting this story and its sequel(s). I've invested so much time on it, it would be a disgrace to take time away from it. So yeah, that's basically what's up. Anyway, enough of that… on to the long-awaited chapter!
Chapter 36: Stuck in the Dark (Part 10)
Kabuto's POV:
"I have a question, Sasuke." Akemi notified as she happily skipped down the busy streets while the raven and I followed behind.
"What is it?" He questioned stoically, sounding uninterested but listened, nonetheless.
"What's your relationship with Kat like?" She asked curiously as she twirled around to face the both of us. "Do you fight a lot with Kat? Do you get along with her?"
Sasuke's brows quirked at her question, grabbing his full attention. He made a full-stop and eyed thoroughly at the young blonde. Akemi didn't seem too fazed with him staring at her as she shined her innocent, bright smile at him.
"What makes you think Katsumi and I have such a relationship?" He inquired restrainedly, furrowing his eyebrows at the girl.
The child shrugged admittedly. "I dunno, really. It's just that Kat didn't mention anything about having siblings or her family entirely. So, I was surprised to learn that she has a brother. And I guessed you guys didn't like each other for her to not say anything about you…"
Though this belief wasn't as true as it was false, I could detect the sting the Uchiha male felt after hearing the girl's claim. Of course, any human would feel offended or hurt for someone to just assume that two people weren't friendly just because they don't acknowledge one another. In this case, what Akemi was saying happened before my violent encounter with her brother, while we were out for Katsumi's birthday; naturally, she saw no point in telling the child about her family, especially since they had just met. To be frank, it wasn't a huge surprise Sasuke was offended by her comment—he would be heartless and conceited if he wasn't—because he knew it was somewhat true.
Katsumi and Sasuke don't get along but it wasn't in the sense they fought with each other constantly. In fact, the way they handled any sort of disagreement was weird, in my opinion, mainly because they were siblings. One person would say one thing, the other person would disagree, they would exchange solid points followed by gentle arguing, then one would leave the room and wouldn't speak to each other until A) Katsumi apologized—because she always had to, from what I'd seen—because she was tired of fighting over something stupid or B) Sasuke would starting communicating with her and pretend the disagreement never happened. This was the general formula of their bickering. The variable in each disagreement was time; how long they would give each other the silent treatment until someone cracked. Normally, it would be two to three days max because Lord Orochimaru's hideouts were vast and they rarely bump into each other, especially given their differing schedules.
This was different: they argued, and they never had the chance to make-up because the ravenette was kidnapped and as heartbreaking as it was, he feared that their last encounter would be the last time he would see his younger sister, never mind the current terms they were in. One of the reasons why I refrained from beating the raven down was because I empathized with the fact that it was likely we wouldn't see the girl again, since our Lord ordered us to return. However, Sasuke had yet to figure that out. Because of this, he couldn't make proper amends with his sister after the many chances he was given but threw it away each time with the last being the battle between him and myself.
At least my relationship with Katsumi was more than fine while his important relationship with her was at an impasse. He had all the tools he needed to fix everything; he just wasn't the best the carpenter.
Sadly, that was his loss.
Akemi took notice to the long dead silence and gazed up at the monotonous bot apologetically.
"I'm sorry for saying that, Sasuke." She muttered warmly, her blue orbs turned glossy. "I didn't mean to accuse you for anything…"
Sasuke stood there silent, reluctant to respond to the girl's apology. To my surprise, he extended his hand with his first two fingers and gingerly jabbed the blonde's forehead which caused her to jerk from that surprise. Both Akemi and I glanced at the male who had his usual emotionless face on but this one was different; he looked somewhat… calm and at peace. I looked back down at the young girl incredulously; she had the innate ability to draw people in, just like Katsumi. With this thought, I couldn't help but smile warmly at her for reminding me of the ravenette I'd grown to love.
"Sasuke?" Akemi breathed confusingly, blinking.
"Shouldn't you be getting home?" He responded flatly, changing the subject as he retracted his hand. "It's getting late…"
Akemi gasped at the realization. "Oh no, you're right! Mom's gonna kill me if I'm home late again! I have to go NOW!" She informed frantically.
"Do you want us to take you home, Akemi?" I offered benevolently.
Akemi shook her head. "No, that's okay! I don't want her to think I got myself into trouble or else she'll lose it… trust me, this is for your good and mine…"
"Well, if you say so." I shrugged benignly.
The young blonde nodded in glee then jumped into my arms out of the blue. Out of instinct, I held the girl from falling on the ground as her arms were wrapped around my neck tightly.
"Thank you for today, Kabu!" She chirped radiantly. "Wherever Kat is, I hope you'll find her safe and sound. And tell her that I said hi and I miss her so much!"
Hearing her message to the ravenette sort of melted my heart—which was surprising since I'd never thought I had a heart capable of being anywhere near warm. 'Despite only meeting her once, she adores her as a big sister…'
After her unexpected hug, I carefully placed her on her feet then threw me one last big smile while I returned with a smile of my own. Akemi then turned her attention towards Sasuke who stood idly by in silence, staring directly at the girl. She stood there unsurely until finally she made up her mind and slowly moved closer to the raven. She slowly snaked her arms around him, giving him more of a subtle hug than the one I received. Even though the Uchiha boy didn't bother returning the hug, he didn't push her away or even give any sort of indication that he didn't want any physical contact.
I'll say it again: this child was something else. She was so much like Katsumi than what said ravenette had seen when they first met.
"Take care of Kat for me, okay Sasuke?" She requested strongly as she continued embracing.
"Hmph." He grunted in response.
Although, I believed he swore to himself and the girl he would stop at nothing to protect his sister.
Satisfied with the response, she removed her arms and stepped back to gaze at both of us. She sent us a warm, farewell smile which brought out a smile of my own. Though we failed to locate Katsumi and coming up short, Akemi was a good distraction for the upsetting circumstances. She inadvertently helped us come to terms that whether alive or dead, we might not see the Uchiha girl for a while until fate decided otherwise.
Her fate was in God's hands now, and all we could do now was pray for her safety.
"Goodbye, Kabu!" Akemi exclaimed sweetly, waving her hand over her head. "Goodbye, Sasuke! I'll see you soon!"
With that, she turned on her heel and quickly jogged away from us and down the loosely crowded streets to her home. I slowly waved goodbye while Sasuke stood there watching the girl distancing herself from us. Once we removed our attention from Akemi once we lost sight of her and with that, I turned to the raven.
"Sasuke, there's something you need to know." I informed sternly as I pushed up my glasses.
Sasuke said nothing but returned my serious gaze with onyx eyes boring into mine. I inhaled deeply, ready to not only for the boy's reaction but hearing the disappointing words to come out of my own mouth.
"Not long before I bumped into Akemi, Lord Orochimaru sent us a brief message in terms of our search for Katsumi." I started briefly, trying to maintain my unsteady breathing.
"And?" He pressed dully, pushing me to continue before he lost his patience with me.
My fingers frantically moved, trying to gather the proper words to speak but my anxiety was preventing the words to leave my brain and escape my lips. Impatiently, I clenched my fist as if I was trying to muster as much confidence I could to deliver the bad news.
"Lord Orochimaru ordered us to return to his lair. We've reached the time limit he gave us to find her and he's cutting us off from searching any further." I told him quickly, letting the words spill before any emotion could latch on for the ride. "We have to go back…"
After finally saying what needed to be said, I waited cautiously for Sasuke's reaction. I prepared for the worst to come out, however Sasuke did nothing. The second I relaxed my tense muscles, he automatically activated his Sharingan causing me to recoil from the fear of getting hit by his visual jutsu.
"No." That was all he said as a response to the information I gave him.
I blinked puzzlingly at him. "No?" I repeated.
"Orochimaru ordered you to head back to the hideout, not me." He asserted coldly, eyeing me with his crimson eyes. "I don't care if you leave, I'll continue finding Katsumi myself."
"But Orochimaru gave us a time limit to search for Katsumi and we ran out of it." Hana remarked edgily after a long duration of remaining silent.
I assumed she did it just to prevent in stirring more questions from the innocent, curious child. Anyone—at least a regular civilian—would ask a handful of questions as to why there was a talking dove sitting on my shoulder.
"I don't care about Orochimaru and I couldn't care less what his orders are." He insisted aloofly, reluctant to budge. "You're his loyal subordinate, not me. It's not my problem you feel the need to follow his orders rather than saving someone who you claim to 'love dearly'."
I furrowed my eyebrows, offended. "So, you're implying that my loyalty to Lord Orochimaru equates to me not caring about her?"
"Why should I believe the words you say and the 'emotions' you feel for her…?" He questioned me dryly. "Especially since you're giving up all because of your beloved master?"
Now, the snobby Uchiha went and did it; he finally stuck a nerve that I tried so desperately hard not let it get to me only because he was my lover's brother. But, just hearing him talking ill of me and accusing me of choosing Lord Orochimaru willingly over Katsumi made snap from within. At this point, I didn't care if he was stronger than I was, I didn't care if he tried to kill me in front of many civilians, and I couldn't care less if he was the ravenette's brother; he had no right to throw double standards left and right just because he was frustrated that he screwed up his bond with his younger sister. Just those thoughts alone piled on my anger that I never knew I had. Using this indignance as courage, I got in the raven's face and stared him dead in the eyes. He didn't seem fazed at all as he return the glare with his blood-red eyes.
"Listen, Uchiha. I tried my damn hardest not to let my emotions and my personal feelings about you get in the way of our mission. But for hell's sake, you're making it more difficult than it needs to be." I growled venomously at the boy as I sharpened my glare. "I suggest you watch what you say because you're pushing it to the point where you being Katsumi's brother holds no significance to me any longer."
"Hmph. I see your true colours just came out." Sasuke commented smugly, not registering nor caring that a nerve was popping out of my head to greet itself. "Wait till my sister sees this… she'll finally realize you were never the person she'd fallen for."
My fists clenched so tightly, my once tanned knuckles turned pure white and my nail were drawing blood from my palms. The urge to beat the spoiled child was skyrocketing yet I chose to keep my composure, so I wouldn't "accidently" kill the kid.
"I'll tell you this one last time: do not assume you know me when you know nothing. And don't ever assume that I'm using Katsumi for my personal gain." I gritted threateningly, narrowing my eyes.
Sasuke stayed muted as he threw a glare, warning me to watch the words coming out of my mouth. To that, I scoffed at his warning; since when I was scared of the Uchiha boy anyway?
"I love Katsumi." I stated with conviction, earning a small twitch from the raven. "I would go far and beyond for the girl... even if my life depends on it."
"Then if you 'love' her, you would continue to search for her instead of worrying about your master." Sasuke countered reservedly. "I will find my sister... whether he likes it or not..."
"Well, you can think that if you want but at this point, we don't have much of a choice..." I informed him bluntly, adjusting my glasses.
"You don't have a choice but to obey but I do." He argued determinedly, narrowing his crimson eyes. "I'll search for Katsumi on my own if I have to. It'll be easier for me anyway."
"But, Sasuke—!"
"This is my sister who's been kidnapped by rogue ninja she couldn't fight off on her own... and now she's somewhere alone, possibly being tortured and isolated from the world." He interrupted obstinately. "Do you realize that you're asking me to stop trying to save my little sister?"
The common trend I noticed from the raven was that he was capable of being talkative when his sister was the subject of almost any conversation. In other words, he was socializing less like an abnormal human being.
"You also have to realize that Lord Orochimaru will have no problem in killing the both of us if we dare to defy him." I maintained challengingly. "I understand completely how you feel but we've done more than enough on our part; we did the best we could, but we don't have solid leads to go on."
"And you said that you 'loved' her..." He muttered defiantly.
"Mock me as you please but you know just as much as I do that Katsumi wouldn't want us to waste all of our energy in saving her if it's pointless. She's capable of fending for herself, no matter how dangerous the situation is for her. She'll eventually help guide us in the right direction somehow. Until then, we have to wait." I explained firmly, sharpening my gaze at the boy. "For once, have trust in your sister's capabilities..."
Sasuke had nothing else to say after my latter statement, however he didn't seem he was ready to back down nor admit that I was right. So, he resorted to glaring begrudgingly at me instead.
"If I may, Sasuke..." Hana chimed in demurely. "… Kabuto has a point. We don't have any other leads, and Orochimaru was considerate enough to search for Miss Katsumi in exchange of returning at his request. Plus, we'd just be wasting our time and energy."
Hearing this, Sasuke slowly glanced at the white dove crouching comfortably on my shoulder. She maintained eye contact with the Uchiha boy with a polite look while said male stared back looking unconvinced.
"On the bright side, he promised us that he'll send out his strongest henchmen to take our place. That gives us an advantage thanks to the power in numbers and strength." The dove added sanguinely. "So, in a way, we're not giving up on her..."
"I should be the one to save her, her older brother." He mused grimly.
"What are you trying to prove, Sasuke?" I pressed impatiently.
Before Sasuke could throw a bluntly stoic answer, his Sharingan eyes widened in realization, like he instantly sensed something in his radar. Both Hana and I stood there quietly, unsure if we should ask what was wrong. We watched him move his red pupils left and right then he started moving his head in the same way, vaguely scanning his surroundings in silence.
"What is it?" I asked warily as my curiosity could no longer be kept inside.
"I thought I sensed Katsumi's chakra..." He answered reservedly, still looking around with his crimson eyes.
Hana and I perked up eagerly. Just when we were about to throw in the towel on our part, the fate graced us with fortune by having the ravenette pop up out of thin air.
"Where is she?" I questioned zealously.
"She's somewhere outside of this town." He responded briskly, turning his head in the direction of the now free female. "Moving northwest from where I'm standing..."
"She's heading towards the hideout." I remarked hastily.
"What are we waiting for then!? Let's go!" Hana prompted encouragingly.
Katsumi's POV:
"Boom!" The blonde cheered proudly as he successfully shot one of his pool balls into the right-corner pocket.
"Good for f**kin' you..." I slurred dryly, picking up my drink.
"You know what that means, hm..." He chaffed smugly with a hand on his hip.
"Yeah, yeah." I waved him off brusquely while setting my cue stick. "I'm already on it, blondie."
It was only two hours early when Deidara introduced me to the same pub we were currently playing a competitive round of pool. When we first got here, we just sat at one of the open booths for about an hour, talking and drinking until the conversation went dull and unproductive due to us getting fairly tipsy. That was when the blonde noticed a pool table near the end of the establishment that wasn't occupied and asked if I wanted to play, to which I said yes. We played two rounds—one round won by me and the other he won, respectively—until that became a bore as well.
Before I placed my cue stick down, Deidara proposed an entertaining idea: sake pool.
The rules were simple: each time someone gets their ball in a pocket, the other person has to chug all of their sake until their cup was empty. If a person shot and miss their ball, hits the other person's ball, or unsuccessfully gets their ball in a pocket, they had to take one of the many shots provided in a large tray sitting on our table. Whoever loses the round must drink the rest of the large bottle of sake. In order for us to play fair with each other, chakra wasn't allowed to be used whatsoever—which didn't matter because I couldn't use my chakra anyway thanks to the stupid dog collar around my neck. Meaning no medical ninjutsu to neutralize the alcohol being consumed or clones/substitutions to replace the original and anything along those lines.
We originally wanted to switch the stipulation—get it in and other person takes a shot and miss the person at fault chugs the cup of sake—but we decided against it because it was harder to sober up after many shots than it was for sake. Plus, Pain would lose his s**t if he found out that his subordinate and prisoner got drunk without his consent.
In this round, I was playing as solids as he was stripes. We were playing best two out of three with both the blonde and I each won one round. Whoever won this round would be crowned king or queen of sake pool. And to be honest, as much as I gave a lot of respect to my competitors/opponents, I was secretly a sore loser. I was so used to being better than my rivals and other people in general—except my brothers, obviously—that it kind of gave me a cocky persona of someone who couldn't be beat. Along with that, I hated giving anyone the satisfaction of one-upping me.
Case in point, I refused to let Ino's long-lost twin get the better of me in the slightest because besides obvious reasons, he too was just as—if not, more—competitive than I was.
"I'm waiting, hm." He groaned querulously, tapping his point while frowning at me.
Giving him the finger, I went ahead and gulped down everything that was held in that cup until there was nothing else. I removed rim of the cup from my lips as I let out a long exhale. I held out my now-empty cup at him while the blonde applauded with a grin.
"Wow, I'm actually impressed." He mused in acknowledgment. "I never thought a young Uchiha female was capable of doing anything along the lines of this, hm."
I digested the tipsy blonde's words while I refilled my cup with sake then placed in on the pool table's curb. Realizing it was my turn to play, I position myself in the typical pool stance and the moment I locked my target, I skillfully hit the only pure white ball towards a solid orange ball.
"Let's just say..." I replied waggishly as I watched the cue ball collide with the orange ball, causing it to roll ahead towards a pocket at the nearest corner pocket. "… I'm one of a kind..."
"Indeed, you are..." He purred breezily, flashing a tipsy smirk at me.
My solid orange sphere successfully made its way into the pocket without the blonde's knowledge.
"Direct hit." I acknowledged slyly, then returned his smirk with a wink. "Drink b***h."
"Huh?" He grunted bemusedly, turning his attention to the pool table and one less solid ball on it.
Despite being intoxicated, the realization hit him, resulting in his already rosy cheeks growing hotter from frustration.
"Aw, s**t, hmph!" He snapped vexedly, snatching his cup.
Without objection, the blonde started chugging profusely until there was no more.
"Good boy." I clapped teasingly which earned me a petulant stuck-out tongue from the blonde.
I rolled my eyes at his childish act. "Your turn."
Because we were both ninja with almost perfect aim, we mostly consumed the sake and not as much of the shots. Which meant that we hadn't gotten stupidly drunk yet, but we were definitely tipsy with slurring words and sloppy movements as proof. I also took into note that Deidara's tolerance to alcohol was just as high as mine, so we were equally inebriated.
'I wonder what he's like when he's drunk...' I wondered curiously asI cocked my head to the side and eyed thoughtfully at him.
"Hey, Dei." I called, not twigging what I'd just called him.
"Hm?" He hummed preoccupiedly, dismissing his nickname.
"That detonating clone of me you made..." I remarked softly, recalling the moment I expressed my concerns the first time to the blonde.
"I already told you. The explosion isn't as deadly as I usually make them to be during battle, hm." He interposed airily, finally hitting the billiard ball. "The worst an average ninja will receive are broken bones and harsh flesh wounds. That's only if they don't manage to avoid the blast, hm."
"Okay, good." I nodded relaxedly, observing the white ball hitting the striped-green ball.
"By the way, what's the deal with that, hm?"
"Deal with what?"
"Wanting me to make a clone of you at a dire state, hm." He clarified, eyeing me intently.
"Precaution, you can say." I answered crisply, breaking eye contact. "Just… don't worry about it…"
"If you say so, hm…" The blonde remarked insouciantly, shrugging off the topic.
We watched the rolling green-striped ball in anticipation, praying for different outcomes. Apparently, the heavens finally spared me from punishment when the ball slightly missed the side pocket and instead hit the curb, rolling back towards the middle of the table.
"Oh, for God's sake!" He growled exasperatedly, then stomped towards our table and grabbed one shot.
"You missed." I commented cheekily, enjoying the artist's sorrow.
"Shut up, I know that!" He snapped drunkenly, walking back to his original spot across from me. "It's because of the stupid amount of sake I've drank, hmph."
"Sure, blame the alcohol for your sloppy skills." I bantered pertly, shaking my head. "Keep piling on the excuses, we have all day."
"F**kin' brat..." He grumbled surlily as he took the shot in one gulp.
I tried to contain my laughter, but damn his reaction to the strong, burning, thick shochu running down his throat was priceless. I let it out when he topped off the amusement by hopping in place because of the sheer potency of the shot—even a seasoned drinker like him couldn't handle it.
"Yeah, laugh now but when you miss your shot, I'll be the one laughing all the way back to the base, hmph!" He groused sourly, grimacing at the aftertaste.
"Whatever." I grinned jauntily, lifting my cue stick. "My turn."
I placed myself in the pool standard stance and examined the current state of affairs on the pool table. I had four balls left while Deidara had three left to go, excluding the eight-ball. From the beginning, Deidara broke the triangle which resulted in getting a striped ball inadvertently into one of the pockets, allowing him to play as stripes while I was solids. F**kin' jerk had one less ball to deal with from the jump, giving him an immediate advantage, and it didn't help he was able to get two more balls in consequently. I was betting my lucky stars to get this victory because I don't think I could live it down, losing to Goldie Locks.
On my mark, I hit the cue stick against the cue ball, forcing it to collide with a blue solid ball this time. It slowly rolled towards the side pocket and we both anxiously stood there as it decelerated. I prayed for the damn thing to fall into the hole while the blonde prayed it would stop just at the nick of time. Due to my luck, the blue bastard slowly paused near the edge of the pocket, defying gravity on the table, almost mocking me.
"F**K YEAH!" Deidara cheered gloatingly. "Now YOU shall take a shot, hmph!"
I glared churlishly at the stupid blonde-headed bimbo, boasting unapologetically. I was trying my damn hardest not to shred the boy into pieces for making a mockery out of me in such an obnoxious way. I slowly treaded towards the tray that carried little cups of burning hand sanitizer and picked up one of them. I slowly moved back to stand across from the annoying blonde who was still rambling on about the triumphant turnaround and untimely luck. He only managed to shut himself up when he caught sight of me reluctantly holding the shot.
"Aw, what's the matter?" He smirked wryly, amused by my hesitation. "You're too scared to take one little sip of alcohol, hmmm?"
"Shut the f**k up, jerk!" I hissed grouchily.
Of course, the loud and expressive artist didn't grant my wish.
"I really was right: you're not like any other Uchiha, hm." He noted jestingly. "Uchiha like Itachi are perfect at everything they do and admittedly, they never lose. But you're a WAY different story."
Deidara proceeded to laugh at his own words as if what he said was the funniest thing ever. As his laughter progressed, he started to lose his balance and subconsciously grabbed onto the table's curb while simultaneously leaning on it. I guessed the law of physics felt bad for my bad luck because him doing all that caused my solid blue ball to shift ever-so slightly. Miraculously, it then fell into the damn pocket thanks to the small force the stupid blonde applied. I smirked gratifiedly at the pocket then glanced at the hollering artist, oblivious to what had just happened and that he caused it.
"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, idiot." I noted slyly as my smirk stretched.
Hearing this made the blonde stop in his high horse tracks his and looked at me with confusion.
"What's that supped to mean, hm?" He queried insensibly.
Without saying a word, I moved closer to that same pocket and slipped my hand into the pocket and pulled out the same blue ball that was the newest guest in the pool pocket party. It didn't take a genius—or should I say Deidara—to piece two-and-two together and realize he screwed himself over.
"Aw, man! You gotta be f**kin' KIDDING me!" He barked indignantly, then kicked the poor table's leg out of frustration. "Why does this keep happening to me!?"
"Probably because you're nothing but a blonde-headed idiot who likes to blow s**t up." I commented frivolously, holding my head high in triumph.
"No way! You did something for that to happen!" He accused impetuously, pointing a finger at me. "You cheated, hmph! You rigged something!"
"Oh, f**k off with your excuses!" I retorted dismissively at his assertion. "It's your own fault for leaning against the table so b***h to yourself, not to me."
Huffing angrily at me, he reached his arm to grab his cup until I abruptly stopped him with my hand.
"Uh-uh-uh!" I smirked drunkenly then pointed at the table near the corner. "You have to take a shot."
"What, why?" He gawked bafflingly. "I didn't miss a ball or anything, it wasn't even my play, hmph!"
"But since you're a drunk dumbass, you moved the table causing my ball to fall into the hole." I asserted craftily. "Shots are required for those who f**ked up, and you definitely f**ked up all the way."
"That wasn't a part of the—!"
"Take the shot or forfeit the game." I snubbed cheekily.
"Fine, dammit!" He snarled bitterly. "Just give me the shot you're holding right there, hmph."
"No." I rebuffed uprightly, holding it away from his reaching hand. "Get another one."
"Why?" He frowned questioningly, narrowing his blue eye at me. "What gives, hm?"
I gawked at him then turned away hastily, offended.
"Fine, I see that you don't wanna have a toast with me." I grunted petulantly.
"You wanna take a shot with me?" He queried dubiously.
"No, I want you to get materials and use them to entertain me." I answered sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
I guess he took my answer more literally than he was supposed to, given it brought a bright red shade on his tanned cheeks while his blue eye blinked dumbfoundedly. Just that pathetic sight of his immature reaction made me roll my eyes back until my pupils hid behind my rested eyelids.
"W-What...? You actually wa...want me to—?"
"Oh, for f**k sakes! Just get a f**kin' shot already before I throw this one at your face!" I exclaimed impatiently.
"Okay, okay, hmph." He complied grumpily as he made his way towards the small table.
Deidara picked up a shot like then returned to where he was originally standing before making that brief travel. He held out his tiny glass towards me with an irritated but somewhat amused look on his face.
"You know, you can be such a b***h, hmph." He remarked brusquely.
"More importantly, you can be such a dumbass." I countered nonchalantly, then immediately glowered at him. "Tsk, and you say Tobi is insufferable..."
"Shut up and make a toast already!" He snapped prickly.
I huffed loudly at him for his tone but followed his wishes regardless.
"Here's to being brought here from above to become low lives." I quipped facetiously, holding my glass out to him.
"And for art being nothing but a fleeting moment, hm." He added cockily, tapping my glass with his.
"No offence, but your art is basically blowing s**t up." I rebutted evenly.
The self-proclaimed artist didn't seem too thrilled about my offhanded comment, based on his prickly frown.
"I told you, art is an explosion, hmph!" He parried defensively, then took the shot with one big gulp.
"Same s**t." I muttered to myself before consuming the burning beverage myself.
We gave each other a moment to contain ourselves after swallowing strong, burning liquid down our throats and into our poor stomachs. The blonde was the first out of the two of us to recover from the backlash of the shot, grimacing and grunting at the sharp taste.
"Though you can be such a b***h, you are undoubtedly a good sport, hm." He acknowledged with a drunken smirk.
"Aw thanks." I purred dryly then quickly inserted, "But you're still a blonde bimbo."
The blonde kissed his teeth with annoyance while shooting me a glare.
"Can we please continue with the game before the idiot shows up?" He asked sourly.
I wordlessly moved myself closer to the pool table. I felt the high alcohol content I consumed taking effect already, causing me to move more sloppily.
"Where is Tobi anyway?" I casually inquired, pressing my cheek on the cue stick.
"I sent him to complete a few tasks Pain ordered us to do before I picked you up, hm." He answered unconcernedly.
I sighed at his indifference. "Why would you do that to the poor kid? He doesn't really know better, and he'll just get himself killed. I get that he can be so annoying at times but you're too hard on him. He just wants to enjoy himself..." I nagged intoxicatedly.
"He doesn't have to be impossible to 'have fun'." He retorted stubbornly. "And for your information, I'm not sending him to his death; we just have to gather intel, that's all, hm."
"Alone?"
Deidara rolled his eye. "He's surprisingly good at infiltrating and spying. Actually, he's good at doing things in the dark so I'm not worried about him too much, hm." He vindicated blithely.
Out of nowhere, I was consumed by a large yawn. "I'm just gonna take your word for it because I'm too drunk to care right now."
"Good 'cause I was just getting tired of your nagging, hm." He remarked bluffly.
I positioned by cue stick just in front of the cue ball when the blonde gasped.
"Hold on, it's my turn!" He protested aggressively.
"But I took a shot with you when I didn't have to, so I get a bonus turn." I countered apathetically, shooting him a cool look.
"What the f**k?! That's not fair, hmph!"" He barked discontentedly.
I took a shot and successfully hit one of my solids into a pocket. I straightened my posture and flashed him a cunning smile.
"What can I say? Life's never fair..." I gibed demurely.
I witnessed the artist gritting his teeth and clenching his fists so hard, the cue stick in his hand was dangerously close to snapping into two. I examined his brightly red cheeks, and it made me wonder: was the redness from pure anger or all of that alcohol he was chugging? I exhaled at his silent tantrum and waved him off.
"You better not throw a tantrum, blondie." I commented dispassionately. "If it makes you feel better, you don't have to take your sake punishment. Now does that sound fair?"
"Good enough, I guess..." He bleated in defeat.
"Now, stop complaining and make your turn already." I prompted restlessly, watching him examining the table.
As he tried to find another easy target to take his shot, I casually looked over our sake supply and realized we were close to running out of the stuff.
"Hey, I'm gonna go to the bar and get more sake." I notified mildly.
Deidara only responded with a grunt, letting me know he heard and okayed it. With that, I placed my cue stick and sauntered towards said bar area, which was more occupied now than it was when we first arrived.
I went up to one female working behind the bar and she greeted me with a friendly grin. She looked to be in her mid to late twenties, she had a... well, large chest... short, wavy, brown hair with her bangs covering one of her eyes. She looked decent mainly because she was the only girl at the moment working and this place I found to be sketchy. I wasn't scared or anything; Deidara just didn't want anyone in this town to know that we were in fact ninja, let alone associated with the Akatsuki.
"How can I help you?" She asked amiably, shining me a wide smile.
"Four bottles of sake." I answered with a slur. "Gotta game to win and a douche to beat."
The female bartender chuckled at my last comment and went ahead to grab said sake.
"So, is it safe to assume that you're winning?" She queried jestingly, moving closer towards the bar table.
I drunkenly watched her place two sake in front of me before heading back to snatch two more.
"I haven't caught him f**kin' cheating yet so I think I'm gonna kick his ass." I replied casually with a curt shrug.
The brunette arrived once again with two more sake bottles in her hands. She threw a brief smile at me as she placed them on the bar table, resulting in the four bottles standing in a straight line.
"Well, don't tell your boyfriend this but I'm rooting for you because girl power!" She chirped benevolently, holding up a fist in encouragement.
"Thanks~. That's sweet and all... but he's not my boyfriend." I bluntly corrected, semi-dismissing her act of support.
"Are you serious?" She frowned incredulously, then exhaled out the shock. "Wow, you guys could've fooled anyone. You two literally act and look like a young, fun-thriving couple."
"Sorry to burst your bubble but we're not a couple." I restated firmly. "I would neverdate a guy like that—not my type."
Then again, I never thought I would date a bookworm either—yet here I am with one. Life was unpredictable.
A brief chat with the blonde and sadly, I wanted to try out his means of art by using his head all because of how aggravating he was.
"So, if you're not dating... are you guys like friends...?"
"He's more of an acquaintance if there has to be a label. I mean, I just met him a few days ago..." I told her flatly.
'Besides, why would I fall for someone who second-handily kidnapped me against my will?'
Again with the hypocrisy, because I also never thought that I would date someone whose master was obsessed with my brother's body.
"Well, you guys look like you've known each other for years. But hey, what do I know, right?" She mused frivolously while I stood there, growing a bit impatient. "I mean, we're strangers so I can't say..."
I was getting tired of having this pointless conversation with this girl. This could've been a one-and-done transaction and I would've already been back in the pub, kicking Deidara's ass. But no, the girl wanted to have some "girl talk" because that was what we thrive, apparently. I felt bad for being brutally frank with someone I hadn't met especially since I usually don't mind socializing with people. But I was drunk off my ass, the blonde had zero skills in patience, and we were counting our lucky stars that Itachi doesn't come back to the hideout and realize that I had been MIA the whole time he was absent. At this point, I just don't have the effort to give a crap about what she or what people had to say to me because there was nothing to achieve; it was her job to get people drunk so she could get paid and I had no intention in making new friends.
She briefly scribbled something on a piece of paper then handed it to me. I took and quickly scanned at what was written. I didn't bother looking over at the list since I only purchased four sakes. However, I was particularly interested in the price of them.
'10,600 yen? I don't have that money with me at the moment.' I thought anxiously as I was staring daggers at the damn number mocking me.
This wouldn't have been a problem if I had my wallet with me, but I don't. Why? Simple: I didn't think I was going to get kidnapped by my estranged brother. That wasn't in my f**kin' agenda. I already spent the money I did have on food and the drinks we purchased before so now I was dry. I gathered up the courage to look at the bartender who was waiting intently for me to fork up the money. I bit my lower lip nervously then glanced down at the bill, letting it mock me again for being temporarily broke. After an awkward moment of silence, the brunette sighed deeply, and I shivered in anticipation. Maybe she was going to let me off the hook or let this be on the house. I glanced up at her with hope in my dark, sparkly orbs.
"Listen, I need to use the ladies' room so figure out how you're gonna pay for that by the time I come back, okay?" She remarked insouciantly, then wasted no time rushing towards a back door that led to the bathrooms for employees.
I groaned in defeat, wondering what I should do. I was out of cash, and the blonde was too hammered to comprehend the situation. Frankly, my only other option was to sneak some money out of his pocket but that was a risk. He may be stupidly drunk, but he wasn't a complete moron. He would definitely catch on to what I was trying to do especially since I too wasn't sober myself. But, even if he were to bust me for taking cash, I honestly wouldn't care too much. And if I did end up hurting his little feelings, an apology should suffice.
'I guess I have no choice but to pick-pocket the blonde.' I decidedly inwardly . 'I rather deal with his b***hing than hers.'
Just when I was about to slide over to Deidara to steal his wallet...
"Well, look what we have here..." A low, husky voice spoke in a lion's purr.
I coolly glanced to where the voice came from, and my eyes landed on a smug, evidently hammered male. He had spiky, off-black hair and bluish-grey eyes that bored hungrily into mine, wearing a navy blue, long-sleeved, baggy shirt along with full beige pants. I cocked an eyebrow aloofly, unimpressed with how he was smirking at me with enticement as he shifted in his seat to better face me.
"Can I help you?" I questioned standoffishly, exasperated by the mere sight of the guy.
"Oh, I don't need help from you, sweetheart." He claimed lewdly, his smirk stretched. "It's mainly you are needing help from me."
"I never asked for your f**king help." I rebuked sharply.
"Your pretty face carries a foul mouth, I see." He commented huskily, his eyes examining my physical appearance. "Doesn't matter... it makes things a lot more interesting..."
I had no clue what this creep was trying to prove or why he thought he could achieve anything with this conversation. Hell, I didn't even know he existed until he spoke up. Now that I thought about it, I wished he didn't exist in the first place.
Or at least when I lacked in chakra and drunk off my ass.
"I couldn't help but overhear your predicament about paying your bill." He simpered cunningly, trying to sound innocent then he leaned in closed. "How about I help you with that?"
I narrowed my eyes at his offer. "What's in it for you?" I queried cynically.
"Simple." He replied then placed a devious, hungry, wanting face as he glared intently at me. "You."
My initial reaction was an appalled gasp, then it immediately changed into a repulsed scoff, glaring at the man as if he was crazy. I watched his eyes lurking all over my body, almost visually undressing me.
'This fool is actually serious!' I thought in disbelief, a hint of concern brewing in my chest.
I was cut from my train of thought when the mysterious man abruptly snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I was forcibly standing in between his legs with his arm still fastened around my waist. I glared deadly at the male for being so presumptuous to touch me. He didn't seem to notice or care that I was as he was too busy examining my figure with anticipation, imagining what I looked like under the baggy clothes and dark robe.
"Just by looking at you, I can already tell you have something... special..." He smirked crudely. "And I can't help but think that it's hiding under these dark, baggy clothes. Don't you agree?"
"No, I don't f**kin' 'agree'!" I hissed tetchily, using my hands on his chest to push him away from me. "Let me go, you bastard!"
Sadly, because I didn't have the chakra nor the strength due to my current state, my attempt to free myself was futile. In fact, it just excited the creeper even more. He lifted his free hand and gripped my cheek roughly and rubbing it against my skin. Though I wasn't consciously scared, I felt my heart palpitating as if it went through fifteen consecutive marathons without water or rest.
"So feisty, my dear..." He cooed sordidly, moving his hand down to my neck to pull my face closer. "… it doesn't do you any good because it makes you more attractive..."
As he was throwing revolting words at me, I proceeded to try to get the bastard away from me. A moment passed, and I unintentionally started letting out desperate whimpers, emphasis my desperation to have my space but couldn't obtain it. I even tried punching the guy's chest, but he still wouldn't budge. He ignored all of my tactics, focusing all of his attention on achieving his short-term goal.
"Leave me alone, you d**khead!" I spat truculently, starting to get frantic and attack him mercilessly. "I'm a f**kin' minor!"
A small part of me acknowledged that it was a low-blow and hypocritical of me for using the "minor card". After all, I was dating someone who was an adult and I was indeed, a minor. But to me, there was consent and I actually had genuine feelings for the man, not this literal piece of s**t.
He could die in a deep hole, for all I care.
"You should've thought about that when you stepped foot into this pub. You're in my territory now, and I do whatever I please." He seethed harshly as I felt his hand slide further down my back.
My heart raced even faster just by the feeling of him lowering his hand to an area I didn't even want to picture. My breathing started to catch up to my racing heart all the while I was still trying to push him off of me with little strength I had.
"Just let me go or else I'll—!"
"You'll what, huh? You're really missing out on a huge opportunity." He interjected lasciviously as he forcibly placed his forehead on mine.
After what it seemed to feel like a year, his declining hand settled on my butt and clenched it tightly. I responded with a frightened gasp, kicking my survival mode into overdrive. While I was panickily trying to remove his grip on me, he leaned in closer towards my ear while pressing his cheek against mine.
"The opportunity of me being inside of you, ramming deeply until you scream with euphoria." He whispered debauchedly, snickering against my ear. "Oh, how I'm yearning to have a taste of that feeling…"
That was the tipping point for me.
I was unsure what possessed in that split moment, but something within me immediately snapped. My natural instincts gave me the instant go-head to punch the man where it hurt the most. With one solid-hard strike, he cried in pain and instantly removed his entire grip on me to cradle his precious part. The haste act took the wind out of me; it felt like I hadn't breathed in hours. I watched him cuss and groan in pain as I frantically moved as far away from him as possible until I bumped into a wall.
A wall that was a lot softer than most.
Just when that bewilderment crossed my mind, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my midsection protectively, heightening the initial anxiety from that creeper. I frenetically turned my head to look over my shoulder and was stunned—but oddly relieved—to see the blonde-headed Akatsuki member behind me. He frowned at me questioningly with glimpses of concern gracing his expression as his grip on me tightened from my reaction.
"You okay?" He asked gruffly, then looked over at the guy. "I was wondering what was taking you so long, hm."
By his tone, he was slightly more clearheaded than he was moments ago when he was drowning in alcohol. My hand subconsciously placed itself on one of the man's hand as I casted a cautious gaze at the male in front of me.
"Who the f**k are you!?" He scowled territorially, despising the blonde's hands on me.
"None of your goddamn business." Deidara retorted antagonistically, glaring strongly with his one blue eye. "Leave the girl alone. She's made it clear she's not interested, hmph."
"I saw her first, so you should be the one to back off!" The stranger spat coldly at the artist then pointed his finger directly at me. "She's mine! Finders keepers!"
"I belong to no bastard!" I snapped disgustedly at him, wanting to throw fists but was held back by the blonde.
"You heard the girl, hm." Deidara remarked smugly.
The creeper growled with gritted teeth at us, particularly at Deidara with envy.
"What are you—her boyfriend?!" He snarled mockingly, glaring with disgust.
I recoiled at the creeper's claim. The guy's notion did nothing but confirm that my drunken mind had a—somewhat—smart idea. However, it came at the blonde's expense and as much as it was inconsiderate in doing it without his permission—not to mention, a warning—I would kill to get this stranger away from me. Him embracing me was traumatic enough to justify my impending action.
Hopefully the bomber would forgive me after pulling a stunt from underneath him once it was over—and after I sobered up.
I swiftly turned in Deidara's hold on me and wrapped my arms around his neck. Before he could react, I pulled his face towards mine, causing our lips to crash into one another. My lips immediately started to move against his while I pressed my body against his. I could feel his hands unsurely on my waist as he was just as reluctant to return my kiss. After a moment of this one-sided kiss, I grew impatient, briefly stopped, and slightly pulled back. However, I made sure to give the creeper the illusion that the pace merely slowed down from his perspective. I breathed deeply on the blonde's agape lips—apparently, the shock he was experiencing hadn't passed yet—and placed my forehead on his.
"Just go with it." I mouthed subtly against his lips, giving him permission to return my actions.
Stealthily nodding, I pressed my lips against his once again and this time, the blonde wasted no time to respond. He deepened the kiss, slanting just enough, and even went as far to gently bite my bottom lip. He strengthened his grip around my waist as his hands teasingly dragged near my butt. I sneaked a look at the blonde and was both surprised and impressed to see him fully commit to this act as much as I was—if not, more than myself.
After a couple moments of necking, I shyly pulled away but kept my hold on the artist. His sole, blue eye opened to reveal a glossy sheer while his lips were left parted, feeling out of place after I withdrew mine. He looked utterly dazed but he kept his arms around me sinched in, like they were locked in place. I don't know how but we naturally leaned in and rested our foreheads in unison. I briefly looked into the icy blue orb and saw an odd glint of unfounded fondness. A small part of me wanted to probe, but I dismissed it. Instead, I simply gave him a thankful smile before turning around to face the creeper just to see if my plan worked. Deidara proceeded to show his commitment to the role by holding his grip around my waist and gently resting his chin on my shoulder while he too eyed the "gentleman" challengingly. I examined his reaction and though he still appeared stubborn, I guess he had enough brain cells to realize he was at an impasse.
"Is that enough proof for you?" I pressed brassily, staring daggers at him.
He tsked begrudgingly before jumping out his seat. "Whatever, you win. I already learned my lesson the last time I f**ked with another man's girl." He scoffed in defeat.
Without saying another word to us, he turned on his heel and exited the pub, slipping in and out of the afternoon crowd. Seeing him leave in frustration lifted a weight off of my shoulders I didn't realize I had until I let out a long exhale. I then inhaled sharply to emphasise that relief. This grabbed the blonde's attention and he glanced over my shoulder at me.
"You sure you're okay, hm?" He asked solicitously.
I nodded in response.
"Thanks for playing along." I muttered gratefully, returning his gaze.
Before one of us had the nerve to speak further about it, in came the brown-haired female bartender from before, hurrying herself back to her workstation. She took a great notice of us, namely our closeness. At first, she blinked puzzlingly at us, then an amused smirk stretched her lips.
"I thought you said you're not his girl." She commented dubiously, folding her arms across her large chest. "Are you sure you're not lying?"
I frowned at her cynically, questioning on why she was unconvinced about my claim. That wasn't until it finally dawned on me that Deidara was still holding me close to him. Flustered, I signalled the blonde to let go of me, to which he promptly did. He too seemed sheepish by this, and the fact that he slightly hesitated to remove his hold. I cleared my throat tensely, then threw the amused brunette an emotionless look.
"What I said was the truth." I stated abruptly, trying to ignore her smirk growing at my words.
"Really?" The brunette held back a laugh, not convinced.
I scoffed at her with annoyance as I added, "The guys here are horny as f**k and sadly, I encountered one of them. I had to do what I had to do to get them to leave me alone because common sense and alcohol don't go hand-in-hand, apparently."
The bartender nodded understandingly. But she still found the previous view of me being in the blonde's arms amusing. She shook the thought and picked up a white cloth.
"Anyways, are you going to pay for the sake?" She asked rhetorically.
Before Deidara or I had a chance to get a response in, the long-forgotten man-child, Tobi, came barging in a frenzy. He scurried into the pub and slid into a stop between us and the bartender.
"Partner, we gotta go! NOW!" He exclaimed hysterically, flailing his arms around.
"What's wrong with you now?" Deidara grunted exasperatedly, frustrated that his freedom from the boy had come to an end so soon.
"Master Pain is wondering what's taking us so long!" The child answered panickily. "He wants us back NOW or else he's sending out people to get us!"
"Did you finish what he asked you to do?" I asked nonchalantly.
Tobi nodded erratically like a child. Sighing, I glanced at the bartender who looked more perplexed than when she saw me and Deidara embracing.
"Cancel the order, we have to go." I told her curtly.
I nudged the blonde who nodded knowingly in return. Before the brunette had time to say anything, the three of us ran out of the pub and into the streets, heading for the nearest exit. At one point, while zooming on top of the town's roofs and building, Deidara and I exchanged eloquent glances without the masked fool's knowledge. It was our telepathic way to swear to each other that we wouldn't breathe a word about what had happened to anyone.
Finally done with this chapter! Didn't intend on making it this long, but oh well. I'm just so happy with my progress and I'm actually really proud of how the story is going. I hope you guys feel the same way! As always, thanks for all the support and I'll see you in the next chapter!