Indebted (Naruto/Akatsuki Fanfic)

Chapter Eleven - Heretic

Welcome!  

Titled 'Heretic'. First quote is from nothing in specific, but the second is Pierce The Veil, 'Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides'.  

DISCLAIMER: Weeeellllllll no.
WARNINGS: Blood and two letters. 

This is what letters and threatening whispers look like.
'Quotes appear like so.'  
Stuff with emphasis.

--

  'If you want to put it that way.'  

--  

   Amaya,  

   This is your older brother, Takeshi. I just wanted to say that I love and miss you very much, though your brief time in Taki as an Akatsuki was rather unwanted. I'll always love you, no matter what you do, so don't worry, okay? The same goes for all of us. Even the elders.    

 What's it like in the Akatsuki? Don't answer if it hurts, okay? Is that old man from Taki there? I've always at least wanted to see him in person. Maybe I will some day. I get the feeling that I will, and that it won't be on hostile terms. Sounds weird but I feel it in my chest.  

   I figure you're busy and don't want to spend all of your time reading letters, so I'll end this here. Anyway, remember that I love you a lot and I always will.  

   Junkyōsha o iruku.  

   Takeshi.  

--  

   The last line before his name seemed as if it were written in a rush of opinion, putting the words on the paper before he could convince himself otherwise. And I wish he had. 'Live the martyr.' I didn't want to think of myself as a martyr. Martyrs died young, something I didn't really want for myself. Though it was the most likely option, after all.  

   "I need to thank Zetsu-sama," I murmur to myself. He was the one to deliver it. But that would come later. For now I was going to prepare for the mission with Hidan-baka, for which we would leave in a few days. My pack needed restocking, lacking mostly everything important. That would be food, soap (to track one had to be either extremely clean or very dirty, the former being my preference) and medical supplies.  

   It's easy enough to gather. I take two bottles of water, three MREs (convenient though not entirely appetizing) and a box of assorted pocky sticks from the kitchen. The MREs are easy to eat while on the move and last for quite a while, and the pocky sticks were good to delay hunger or distract myself from it. Plus, pocky was awesome. I stock up on the rest in the sick room. I get some antiseptic, a spoonful worth of a powerful sedative, put into a little vat, a roll of gauze bandages, a small sewing kit made for use on a person and a mini bottle of pain medicine. I jam all of those things into the first aid box I kept in my bag. The soap I need is in the infirmary as well, surgical grade and perfect for my purpose. I take four bars, two to go with me and the other two to stay in my room for use during a shower.  

   After I'm finished packing everything I have time enough to change into different clothes for my training session with Kisame-sama. It was the first time since my mission with Itachi-sama and the third time ever he would be training me. Honestly, I was surprised in the first place that he was willing to spend time training me at all. He had such an amazing legacy, I could hardly believe I was worth his time. He saw something in me, I suppose, whatever that may be.  

   I bump shoulders with Tobi, on accident. He seems so uncharacteristic, so deep in thought he lost track his surroundings and of my presence. He just keeps walking, ghosting past me and up the stairs. I avert my eyes. He clearly didn't want any sort of acknowledgement, so I would avoid giving him any.  

   Kisame-sama is in the training room already, stretching out. He's extremely muscled and could crush me with one hand, I was so frail and he so... not. Upon seeing me he grins and chuckles, calling out, "Hey, kid! Ready to train?"  

   I nod, swallowing lightly. "Hai. I guess."  

   He laughs again. "You guess? Oh well. First up's endurance training. You need to build up more chakra if you're gonna be a better swordsman. Hopefully you'll hit a growth spurt soon, it'll be easier."  

   I offer him a little smile. "Hopefully so."  

--  

   My legs are seriously gonna fall off. Kisame-sama was insane when it came to training. He was good at motivating me, though part of it was inadvertent. I'd feel horribly guilty disappointing him. He probably knew this, to an extent, because it sure seemed like he was harnessing that and pushing me even further.      

   Six and a half hours later and I'm finally done. I feel like I'm about to keel over from exhaustion, but Kisame-sama doesn't even look remotely tired. In fact, he wants me back here tomorrow at eight in the morning. He wants me to show some improvement before I head off with Hidan. That's three days from now, and he claims he'll go easy on me on the day before my departure. Yeah right.      Training the following day is much the same, just three hours longer. I did lots of endurance training before I was lead through several defense procedures and stances to help me become more light-footed and flowy in my moves. The day after that he keeps me training for only five hours. That day is essentially the same, as well.  

   The day I'm to leave with Hidan is going smoothly enough. I've eaten a bit, spent a brief ten minutes with Kisame-sama, him telling me things I could practice with my spare time. If I had any. The mission was only supposed to last for a week, but it would be longer after that before Kisame-sama was back at base and would be ready to train me again.  

   Hidan and I are about to leave when Deidara approaches. He returned the day before yesterday from a mission with Sasori-sama, and we hadn't seen each other since about a week before my mission with Itachi-sama. He hugs me, patting my cheek and saying, "Good luck, un, with the baka." I chuckle slightly at this.  

   "Thank you, Deidara-sama," I say politely. Tobi was at the top of the stairs watching, remaining unnoticed by the others. I could feel his concealed gaze boring into my chest. He creeped me out and set me on my best behavior.  

   Deidara makes a childish face at the honorific. "Un, no need for that, Amaya-chan," he reassures me. "Now, seriously, un, bye bye."  

   I nod somewhat solemnly at him, turning to face the impatient and annoyed looking Hidan. Time to go then.  

--

  Crunch.  

   I close my eyes briefly, clenching them closed even tighter at the next sound, this time of a series of crunches. That was followed by a pause and another 'crunch'. I think I'm having an aneurysm. Hidan-baka-sama seemed to be consistently obnoxious and purposefully annoying, so I wasn't surprised about this. But it was still pretty ridiculous.  

   "Hidan-sama," I begin, "We will be arriving at our destination shortly. Should we stop to confirm a plan?"  

   He snorts. "Fuck no, little bitch," he chews noisily, "I'm not a plan sort of fuckin' person."  

   "Then I will come up with one myself-"  

   There's a whirl of movement and he's pinned me by my throat to the nearest tree, squeezing my neck threateningly hard. I can't breathe correctly, my air coming in short, raspy gasps. It's painful to attempt it. "Let's get this straight, little bitch," he growls. His voice is low and his violet eyes are glowing with fury and the promise of violence. "You are completely at my fucking mercy. And I am not very damn merciful. Now I won't kill your dumbass yet, cause I might need a fuckin' sacrifice later. But you're walking on a very thin line."  

   I nod. His voice got quieter as he progressed, his eyes narrowing and grip tightening at his last few words. My eyes are wide and I'm biting the inside of my mouth, hard enough that blood welled up. "I understand," I gasp out.    

  He smiles, a sarcastic upturning of the corner of his lips. His hand disappears from my throat. I press a hand to my neck as he turns around. The clenching of his hand to form a fist was my only sort of warning. He whirls back around, the little smile from before now complete and frightening. He raises his fist and it comes in contact with my cheek. I choke on my own air as my mouth fills with blood from my teeth loosening. None of them fall out, thankfully, but the result was the same.  

   His footsteps are letting me know he was leaving me now. He says nothing, just keeps on walking, so I just spit the blood from my mouth onto the ground and follow after him. I feel like crying but I'm trying to keep everything in. That would only infuriate him even more. Then I could very well be a sacrifice.

  I already was, though.  

--  


   To Takeshi-  


   I don't know what that last line was supposed to mean.  


   My time in the Akatsuki's fine, I guess. Better than I was expecting in some ways. When I first got to the base I had to fight against one of the members. Almost died. Then I'd gotten myself a sensei, Kisame. He's helping me with my swordsmanship.  


   Not long ago I angered one of them inadvertently. He made it clear he'd kill me. Punched me and let me know I was nothing. In retrospect, I kind of earned it.  


   Why does everyone say little comments like yours? I don't get it. I wish everyone would stop. Or that maybe I'd be murdered by one of them already. It's only a matter of time.  

   Amaya.  

--

  'A love you light is a love soon gone.'  

--

  Well I feel like this chapter is really lacking. For some reason I can't write a whole lot right now, I simply just can't. This chapter's too short and has little actually happening. Oh well. If you have thoughts on how I can improve or ideas on how this plot could be going better then please share.