Authors note: I was really into the Naruto fandom years ago, but I figured I'd write this little ditty for a rare pairing that I always liked and wanted to see more of. Reviews are very welcome!
Crickets on a Summer Night
The night was warm, tinged with a slight humidity, but not so as to be uncomfortable. Rather, it was a warm embrace that relaxed the muscles and minds of those who lay within it. It was a quiet night in some ways- free from the sounds of people and the hum of a city. The country here conducted its own summer lullaby; its musicians were the invisible crickets and the odd frog or two as the bassline.
Down in the valley, there was a small country house, built traditionally. It was the sort that a small-time merchant might acquire, nothing too expensive, but a place one might go to escape and relax in the outskirts of a small village. For a late-night traveler along the dirt road, who might spot the stone carved wall and circular gate- typical Earth fashion- and the half-asleep guard outside who leaned absentmindedly on his polearm, not a single thought might be given about it.
But for a trained eye, such a matter was quite different. A shinobi might notice the guard's sleepiness as over-exaggeration and might pick up on the fact that other chakra signatures lay around the perimeter of the property. Despite this front, no average merchant lived there unless he or she could afford several highly trained and skilled ninja guards.
Inside the stone walls, on the porch overlooking the small and neatly kept garden sat Kurotsuchi. Dressed comfortably in a loose cotton shirt and pants, she leaned back on her hands, one knee up and the other leg swinging absentmindedly.
Her black hair was cut short in a bob, framing her face and neck, and she had the dark eyes of many in the northern reaches of her country. Her face was pretty in a sort of plain way with sharp chin and eyes. Like a dancer (or a powerful shinobi) she had a casual grace that belayed her muscular, taunt limbs.
She was enjoying the summer night and reveled a little in the nostalgia that it brought back. This small property had been in her family for many years; the second Tsuchikage had bought the place as a way to retreat from the pressures of his station. When the hat was passed to her grandfather, the estate had also come into his possession.
Oftentimes, Onoki had brought his family with him, and as a child, Kurotsuchi had spent many a time here, playing with her cousin in the simple garden before they became genin.
Now she was a long way from the child she had been, and a year ago, that sacred mantle of her grandfather's had passed to her as he finally retired. As much as she had been prepared and desired the position of kage, Kurotsuchi could safely attest already to the responsibility that weighed down her shoulders. And so, like her predecessors, she came here to escape. She was not alone, however.
If Kurotsuchi so chose, she could sense the faint chakra signatures of a scattering of ANBU- personal protection disguised as a sleepy hired guard or watchmen, or hidden away from prying eyes altogether. While Kurotsuchi could handle a great deal on her own, their presence was nonetheless a comfort. It had only been, what, three- four years since the Fourth Ninja War and all that insane supernatural moon shit? Yes, you never really knew what was going to come out of the sky these days.
A creak from the floorboards behind her made Kurotsuchi turn her head. Her love (actually boyfriend but the former term was so much more exciting) leaned against the wooden door frame with its traditional rounded top silhouette. He was dressed traditionally as well, with a green cotton yukata tied by a dark grey obi. It hung loosely off his shoulders exposing his chest.
Deidara was a handsome man, Kurotsuchi knew. He had almond shaped eyes that glowed an intense ice blue and an almost foxlike roguish smile. His long golden hair had been loosely tied in a low ponytail, and hung, flipped over one shoulder. Like most ninja, he had an excellent physique- slightly tan and lean, with a wiry bulking of his chest and arms. Having the explosive release kekkai genkai meant a fighting style that was designed for sort range melee. It certainly didn't detract from his appearance either.
He cocked his head, the bangs over his left eye shifting.
"Whatcha you doin' out here, hm?" In one hand, he twirled a familiar kiseru pipe, and in the other, an embroidered pouch. Kurotsuchi shrugged.
"Listening to the crickets. Are you about to smoke?"
Deidara sat down with a grunt.
"Yeah. Want to join, hm?"
She considered it for a long moment, then sighed, and held out an open hand. Deidara chuckled as he tamped down the tobacco into the pipe's bowl.
"You're supposed to be on vacation, hm. Not stressing about work."
"Is it really that obvious?"
"Mhm. Your forehead is all scrunched up." He gave her forehead a playful tap with his pipe before holding up a lighter to the bowl. The familiar sweet scent of pipe smoke soon wafted into her nostrils, as Deidara took a light puff, then passed the kiseru to her.
For a few minutes, they took turns passing the pipe, enjoying the silent contemplation of the nightly cricket chorus and the flavor of the tobacco. Deidara had splurged a little on this one, Kurotsuchi thought. This was good quality stuff.
As if almost reading her mind, he remarked, "Good, hm? I thought it was a bit of a treat for me and you. How are you feeling?"
"A bit better, thanks." She reached up and rubbed her shoulder. It felt tight, muscles knotted up. "Could you..."
"Course, mhm."
Kurotsuchi happily shrugged off her simple tunic, revealing bare shoulders and chest as Deidara scooted behind her. She enjoyed the feeling of his hands on her bare skin, the potter's tendons working out the knots like kneading clay.
"No bra?" he teased, hands massaging in between her shoulder blades. She chuckled, and made a swift motion with her hand. The chakra signatures registering on the edge of her sense disappeared; Kurotsuchi had no intention of scarring her ANBU guard, and besides, a little bit of privacy was nice.
"Taking your advice. Just loosening up a little," she shot back, a grin curling the edges of her mouth. With a sign, she then leaned further into his hands.
"Mhm- I'm not complaining."
"Figured. Anyway, work has been...stressful."
"So I guessed."
"Yeah. Some of the council members- you know the ones- are getting on my nerves."
"Mhmm," Deidara hummed. "Sounds familiar."
"Unfortunately, so. It's been like this ever since. Kumo had to have their gods-damned moon cannon thing. I'm trying to keep us from launching into an arms race." Kurotsuchi groaned as Deidara worked out a particularly hard knot. "Add to that fact Konoha- last village besides Kumo to have a jinchurriki, and the sheer powerhouse that Naruto is- we'd be fucked if those two villages decided to take us out. They're spooked, you know- all the talk about having to compete with other villages, blah, blah, blah," she ranted, "and now..."
Kurotsuchi trailed off. Deidara paused.
"Now, hm?" She lowered her voice, before replying.
"Deidara, you can't tell anyone this- not even the council knows, and I'd like to keep it that way. Last week, one of my ANBU found sightings up north of the Five-Tails. They need to be confirmed but if it's true...," she trailed off. Deidara paused, his hands gripping her shoulders.
"Fuuck, hm," he hissed. "No one's seen the beasts since the War- if you don't count Konoha's and Kumo's. If the council finds out-"
"- there are those who might want to use them," Kurotsuchi finished, "and you can imagine that restarting a jinchurriki program won't go down well with fucking Naruto or the Kazekage. So no, they're not finding out."
"Does your gramps..." he started, but she shook her head.
"No. Just me, Akatsuchi, and the ANBU who found out- and now you."
"Do you trust him?" His voice was low, almost whispering into her ear. Kurotsuchi sighed and leaned back against his chest, head in the crook of his neck, and his arms automatically wrapping themselves around her stomach. Her hand had absentmindedly come up to stroke his cheek, feeling the faint left over stubble coming back after a clean shave.
"I... I don't know. He's retired- I don't want to bother him- I don't know what he'll think. If I can... you know."
"Yeah, hm."
"Deidara- can I ask you for a favor?"
"Course."
"I need you to confirm the Five-Tails sighting. It won't be... an official mission, so no pay for it."
Perhaps guessing his silence to be annoyance, Kurotsuchi continued. "I know that's a lot to ask, and I would do this myself if I could get away- or- or ask Akatsuchi- it's just someone I can trust, how understands what we're trying to get away from- this nationalism-"
"And you two will be missed too much to disappear," he interrupted her. "And you're not yet confident enough for your ANBU who might think it criminal to withhold information from the council, hm? Kurotsuchi- of course I'll do it. I'll always do it for you."
"Thank you." It was well meant. He whispered into her ear, breath tickling as he did.
"Maybe blow up those old fuckers, too hm."
"Deidara," Kurotsuchi groaned, craning her neck to glare at him in mock anger. He simply chuckled, and kissed her cheek.
"I'm joking, I'm joking." The edges of his mouth had curled up, foxlike in its cleverness- the shit eating grin that always attested to a teasing, but am I really?
Sometimes you could never know with him. There had always been an element of unpredictability in Deidara as if he rode some high off of the bucking of expectation and conformity, of reveling in other's shocked looks. It had faded as he matured, but that streak had not and probably never fully would fully disappear. It was a part of him that both thrilled Kurotsuchi and yet sometimes made her want to wring his neck.
Perhaps that was the essence of love, she thought, one odd paradox of feeling and attraction that somehow worked.
Any more musing on work or love was interrupted as Deidara began to run his hands up and down her side, pausing each time to play with her breasts. Quite happily, Kurotsuchi leaned into the touch, giving a little sigh as he kissed her neck.
"We should go inside," she murmured, almost absentmindedly recalling a sense of decency, "now, I think, would be good." A deep chuckle, warm breath was the first precedent of his reply.
"As you wish, hm."
And then he was scooping her up into his strong arms- strands from his long hair tickling her nose as she laughed, feigning annoyance at being carried to their room inside.
Deidara was always such an attentive lover.
By the time they finished, the humid air must've finally broken outside, and there was the rhythmic light patter of raindrops on the roof. It made for a calming drone int he dark room, much like the cricket's symphony earlier. She had always loved the sounds of summer nights.
Basking in the pleasant afterglow of their lovemaking, Kurotsuchi laid on her back, head comfortably on the futon pillow, and one hand absentmindedly studying her lover's skin. Her fingers ran over the ridged scar tissue that ricocheted up his left arm, all the way to his eye. In the dark, she could still see it with her mind's eye, so familiar with the lightning pattern of scarring on his body.
Kurotsuchi could still remember how Deidara received it. Sasuke Uchiha- the famous errant nin of Konoha and his equally famous Chidori strike. The kage summit- instinctively her lips curled back into a grimace- it had nearly been a direct hit to his chest. Back then, Deidara and herself had served as bodyguards for her grandfather. Part of the job, part of the up close and personal fighting style of Deidara's kekkai genkai. Part of the cost- a permanently blinded eye, scars forever crisscrossed up his neck, all hidden by his hair for Deidara had never been comfortable with them.
He had also never forgiven Sasuke Uchiha for it, grumbling every so often about how Naruto and the rest of Konoha had left him off too easy- too easy for a missing-nin who had done what he had done. Kurotsuchi wondered if Deidara knew too well what the consequences should've been; he'd hit a low point in his mid-teens, so frustrated and angry with a role he'd never quite fit in that Deidara had very nearly left just like Sasuke had. It was something Deidara had only ever shared with her, for to admit he'd even had thoughts like that here... Iwa was a much less... lenient place than Konoha. Iwan nin prided themselves on their nationalistic loyalty, and did not tolerate well a sentiment like that.
But nonetheless, here Deidara still was, not quite loyal to the village as expected or as hoped by their teachers long ago, but fiercely loyal to her, Kurotsuchi, his girlfriend and kage now. It was the last part that sometimes made her laugh at the irony of it all. Deidara- rebellious, non-conforming, stubborn, critical- of all people to end up with her- Tsuchikage, obedient, dedicated, a fine addition to her grandfather's legacy. The council and many other conservative and nationalistic factions disliked the very idea of their relationship; that Deidara was selected to her personal guard when she traveled to kage summits and meetings with the daimyo.
So, on a surface level, yes, it should not have happened.
Yet it had. Perhaps opposites attract, perhaps it was part knowing each for so long- the ol' childhood best friends to lovers trope. Perhaps it was because she found Deidara's critiques of their village so valuable; he was no senseless flatterer but kept her grounded- reminded her that behind the mantle of kage, there was a very real, a very fallible human being who could be wrong, who could not run herself down to the ground for a village she loved.
Love was a very strange thing, indeed.
Kurotsuchi was broken from her musings by Deidara's anxious fiddling with the hair behind her ear. For as long as she had known him, that man had always had a frenetic energy to him. Deidara could never stay completely still, always moving to another task, always messing with some piece of clay in his hands. Even in this darkness, she could imagine the clay still dug underneath his fingernails from working on his pottery earlier.
"Kuro-" he started, half distracted, "there's something I need to tell you, hm." Kurotsuchi snuggled deeper into his body.
"Oh? What's up?"
"I'm..." he wet his lips- "I'm thinking about retiring."
Kurotsuchi lifted her head, slowly retreating back from her half-asleep state.
"From being a ninja?"
"Yeah, hm."
"That's a big decision."
"Yeah, hm." They were quiet for a moment, Kurotsuchi mulling over his words. She waited for him to speak; he always did in silence, eventually.
"I've been thinking about it for a while- retiring, or maybe just going part-time. I-" his tone changed, a small inflection of pride entering, perhaps the slight curl of a grin on his lips- "heard back from that major gallery out in the capital."
Kurotsuchi shifted to her side, now fully awake, and watched him talk, the faint silhouette of his body visible in the darkness, listening.
"They want my pieces in their fall exhibition."
She smiled at the news. He'd been so anxious all that past week or two, waiting on that reply. Not trying to show it of course, but she knew his tells well enough by now to know.
"That's good! Deidara, that's good news."
"There're others too- people are interested in my art, Kuro. They want to see more of it." he turned towards her, hands cupping her face, and she could just see his blue eyes shining with that familiar intensity- the kind that made her feel more alive by extension. "They recognize my vision, hm- finally, people are seeing it." He was excited now.
"But it's getting hard to be both a ninja AND a popular artist?" Kurotsuchi guessed.
"Yeah... Look, I'm not fully retiring, just planning on working less missions in general, hm. I'd still be your bodyguard anytime you need me, and I'll figure out this thing with the Tailed Beast, hm."
"I know you will. Deidara- I'll sign anything you need me to." She carefully stroked his cheek, minding the scar tissue through his eye. "You'll be happier, doing this, you know?"
He reached an arm over her side and tucked her close to him.
"Thanks, hm. Thanks for understanding."
He seemed to let out a breath Kurotsuchi didn't realize he was holding. Perhaps dating the Tsuchikage as a ninja not so invested in being a ninja was more daunting that cocky, confidant Deidara wanted her to know sometimes.
"Thanks for helping me relax- and listening to me rant."
Deidara gave a low chuckle.
"Anytime, hm. You know," he added absentmindedly, "you're- and the rest of the other kage like Gaara and even that Naruto kid- you're gonna change a lot."
"Hopefully good changes." He hummed a little.
"I think so. I always like change- you gotta destroy something first to build as better thing- that's a sort of art, hm."
"I suppose so," Kurotsuchi murmured. Sleep was coming to claim her again, and it was hard to fight it off. She must've succumbed to it not much later, only faintly registering the next morning that the short summer shower had stopped as she fell asleep, and the crickets had resumed their summer's night serenade.