Pointless fact : I've started watching Durarara recently, and I LOVE it. Shizuo, Izaya and Masaomi are just so adorable xD
Pic of Ashley --->
Third Person’s POV
Deidara walks at a leisurely pace, not overly concerned with where he’s heading as he strolls between the towering trees, following an invisible path. He was rather enjoying the peace and quiet, seeing as Tobi had been blown off to who knew where, and Ashley had gone running after him for some reason.
Had she said why? Was it because she felt that the Boss wouldn’t be happy with her if Tobi was killed? Deidara couldn’t really remember her reasoning, as it had been a few hours since he’d last seen the girl, but he didn’t really care anyway. Let her do as she pleased.
Deidara can’t help sighing irritably, his mouth pulling down into a faint frown as he thinks about the new member of his team. Never mind the fact that she was disrespectful and annoying at times, but she was also very suspicious to the former Stone Ninja.
Why had she suddenly decided that she wanted to join the Akatsuki? She’d always opposed them in the past, and she’d been following all of them around for at least a good year and a half. What had made her change her tune?
The fact that she’d previously lived in the Leaf Village made Deidara all the more curious too, seeing as all the Leaf Ninja he knew of were fiercely loyal to their home. Well, apart from Itachi Uchiha. That bastard had been the complete opposite of loyal, if the stories he’d heard were actually true…
“Deidara!” someone suddenly barks, causing said teen to roll his blue eyes and turn his head a little, scowling in the opposite direction the voice had come from. He still didn’t want to speak to those two….
Crouching on a high tree branch, Ashley slowly narrows her eyes and turns her head, boring holes into Deidara’s back as she watches him start walking a little faster. Tobi hangs from a tree behind Ashley, one hand curled around a branch and one foot firmly planted, as he leans to the side and dangles precariously over the edge.
“Deidara Senpai!” Tobi calls brightly, also watching the disappearing blonde male. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“Not true” Ashley mutters flatly, deadpanning as Tobi drops to the ground and hurries after Deidara. “I’ve know his location this whole time.”
“Well, you sure took a long time to find him Ashley-chan” Tobi sings cheekily, spinning around and wagging a finger at the girl as he walks backwards. “It didn’t seem like you knew where Deidara Senpai was!”
“It only took so long because you’re so damn slow!” Ashley defends irritably, raising a fist in the air and growing an anime vein as Tobi giggles behind his hand. “Idiot…”
Spinning around on his heels as Ashley also jumps to the ground, Tobi trots alongside Deidara, swinging his arms happily.
“I’m glad we caught up to you Deidara Senpai” Tobi says slyly, raising his voice a little and shrugging his shoulder. “Ashley-chan was saying how worried about you she was! Seeing as you were all by yourself and everything. Isn’t that sweet?!”
“That’s not what I said!” Ashley snaps darkly, running up behind Tobi and pulling her arm back, before throwing it forwards with great strength. As her fist connects with Tobi’s back, the force of the chakra enhanced hit sends the tall male rocketing forwards and disappearing into the bushes.
A painful crashing sound echoes through the air, before a nearby tree collapses to the ground and narrowly misses a straight faced Deidara, who merely stares at the tree now right in front of him with a blank look.
Turning his head slightly to look at Ashley, who is breathing heavily due to her annoyance, Deidara lets out an aggravated sigh, before bending his knees and easily leaping over the fallen tree.
“I wasn’t worried about you” Ashley repeats vehemently, also bounding over the tree trunk with ease and marching after her blonde teammate. “I was worried because there are Leaf Ninja out here! I just ran into some of them back when I was looking for Tobi and……Hey…..Hey! Are you listening to me?!.......You’re still ignoring me aren’t you, you bastard!”
Deidara tilts his head down as Ashley fumes beside him, having to hide his amused smirk beneath the high collar of his Akatsuki cloak. Though still irked with her comments about his art and Tobi ‘having his hand up Deidara’s ass’, the blonde couldn’t deny that irritating Ashley was kind of fun.
“Well, whatever” Ashley huffs, shrugging her shoulders and crossing her arms. “If you get killed by a bunch of teenage Leaf Ninja, don’t come crying to me. Hell, I might just help them kill you.”
Ashley and Deidara suddenly pause, as Tobi sticks his butt out from behind a tree and begins waving it up and down. Deidara’s eyebrow twitches a little, while Ashley’s face slowly drops into an unamused scowl, her teeth gritting together. She was very quickly losing her patience with these two Akatsuki members……
“If you’re going to hide” Tobi giggles from behind the tree, “Always remember to cover your butt!”
Taking a moment to keep his temper in check, Deidara closes his eyes and continues walking, causing Tobi to stop and look over at the blonde in confusion. Why hadn’t his joke cheered Deidara up? Weren’t butt jokes funny?
Ashley’s shoulders droop slightly, the girl unmoving as her eyes follow Tobi while he ducks out from behind his tree and runs to another one that is in Deidara’s path.
Peeking around the side of his new tree, Tobi places one finger to where his lips should be and tilts his head down, wriggling his shoulders a little.
“Look at me” the dark haired male calls to Deidara. “I’m like a school girl in love with her Professor!”
A sweat drop forms on the side of Ashley’s head, as Deidara keeps his eyes closed and still continues to walk forwards, completely ignoring Tobi’s ridiculous shenanigans. He’d grown accustom to the strange man’s interesting behaviour by now, and Deidara knew that if he didn’t block Tobi out, he’d end up killing him.
‘What is going on here?......’ Ashley wonders wryly, holding in a heavy sigh as she begins hesitantly following after the weird Akatsuki members, with Tobi now begging for Deidara’s attention.
“Please Deidara Senpai” Tobi pleads, jogging beside the blonde, “Just look at me! You’re not still mad are you? Come on, let’s be friends! We can keep looking for the Three Tails togeth-”
“Go away!” Deidara explodes, opening his eyes and whirling around to glare at Tobi, causing the masked male to throw his hands up and freeze with fright. The last thing he’d wanted to do was anger his blonde partner….
“Oh come on!” Tobi cries, following Deidara again. “If we don’t hurry up and find the Three Tails, the others are gonna chew us out! Cut me some slack Deidara Senpai….Oh, I know! I’ll let you take a peek under my mask if you forgive me!”
‘…..Why does that sound creepy to me?’ Ashley wonders briefly, now not so sure about her decision to go with Deidara and Tobi. Were they always so….childish and petty? And just plain bizarre?
“I said get lost!” Deidara reiterates hotly, abruptly changing direction and bumping his shoulder into Tobi as he strides past the black haired male.
Feeling dejected, Tobi takes a step forwards and cups his hands around the lower half of his orange mask.
“If you keep being so mean to me Deidara Senpai” he calls warningly, “Then I might actually leave for real!”
“That’s all it takes to make you go away?” Ashley asks, feeling strangely relieved as she places a hand to her forehead. “I guess I’ll have to dial down the nice a whole lot more then.”
“Awwww…..” Tobi complains, rubbing the back of his head as he turns around. “I guess I’ll just have to search all by myself then…..Unless you want to come with me Ashley-chan?!”
Hearing the hopeful tone in Tobi’s voice, Ashley glances at him, before turning her head to look over at Deidara, who is walking in the opposite direction. After a few moments, the blonde girl hangs her head and lets out a sigh, placing her hands on her hips.
“Are we really doing this right now guys?” she asks under her breath, feeling strangely tired. “I didn’t know you S Ranked criminals were such children……And no. Why the hell would I want to go anywhere with you? You’re a walking death trap. I’m not going with either of you two idiots.”
Tobi tilts his head, watching as Ashley flicks her black and White Wolf mask down to cover her face, before bending her knees a little. She pauses however, seeming to notice that Tobi is staring at her.
“What?” she asks rudely, to which Tobi shakes his head and turns around, strolling away from the girl.
“Your eyes are so sparkly when you’re mad Ashley-chan” the dark haired male announces randomly. “It reminds me of….An old friend.”
Ashley narrows her eyes behind her mask, eyeing Tobi as he raises his hand in a friendly wave, before the girl shakes her head and leaps into the trees. Why would Tobi bother telling her such a thing? She didn’t care if he had an old friend with sparkly eyes!
“This is so boring!” Ashley complains, stopping her walking and throwing her head back. “I thought being with the Akatsuki would be more exciting…..”
‘You joined them just to get excitement?’ a low voice inquires, its voice filled with distaste. ‘How……Human of you. Betraying your so called friends just to gain a more exciting life.’
“That’s not what I’m doing Hakuba” Ashley denies strongly, tilting her head forwards again and frowning into the distance.
‘Oh?’ Hakuba asks, feeling somewhat amused. ‘Then go ahead, enlighten me to this plan of yours….’
“I have no plan” Ashley explains with a shrug, beginning to walk again. “I’m merely becoming a part of the winning team.”
‘……What gibberish are you spouting brat?’ Hakuba growls, displeased with Ashley’s answer. ‘Explain yourself to me.’
“No need to be an ass and order me around” the blonde girl sniffs, rolling her eyes. “To keep a long story short, we know that the Akatsuki are hunting Jinchuuriki and capturing Tailed Beasts. We also know that they’re a bunch of the best and baddest Ninja around right? Surely they’re planning something huge! Already powerful Shinobi don’t risk their lives to capture even more powerful Beasts for nothing. I know something big is coming, though I’m not sure what it is. I like to win, so joining the Akatsuki seems like a natural choice for me.”
Inside Ashley’s psyche, Hakuba slowly narrows his blazing red eyes, his lips curling up to reveal his sharp teeth, a low, guttural growl emitting from his throat.
‘That is your excuse?’ the Juubi snarls, shaking his head. ‘Despite your promise to prove yourself to me, you betray these ones you claim to care about and join their enemies, merely to proclaim yourself as a victor in the end? You are truly disgusting……I knew you were no better than all of the other selfish, lying human beings……All you want is power.’
Ashley’s face hardens a little, though she remains silent for a few moments, now stopped in her walking again, hands balled into tight fists down by her sides. Let that Beast think whatever he wanted, Ashley knew what she was doing……Didn’t she?
All of the sudden, Ashley is hit with what feels like a giant, invisible weight, causing her to drop to the ground. The Minami rests her hands on the dirt for balance, arms and bent knees shaking slightly as she begins breathing heavily.
The invisible force continues to push against Ashley’s chest and down on her shoulders, almost as if it were trying to crush her, causing the girl to grit her teeth and crack one eye open.
“Wh-What’s….Going on?” she asks out loud, when Hakuba begins growling darkly, the sound seeming to reverberate through Ashley’s mind. “H-Hakuba?”
Ashley closes her eye and ducks her head, a faint, stinging sensation now drifting through the air, settling onto Ashley’s skin and giving her the strong urge to scratch.
“It feels like…..” Ashley pants, shaking her head and struggling to push herself to her feet, “I-I’m being bitten…..By a-ants….”
‘That chakra in the air……’ Hakuba seethes, growing incredibly restless in his prison, now pacing back and forth behind the steel bars, ‘It belongs to me. I want it back!’
“W-Wait…..” Ashley breathes, slowly and shakily rising from her crouched position. “That’s a…..Tailed Beast’s chakra?!”
‘Don’t go running to your new Akatsuki friends’ Hakuba spits sarcastically, his agitation growing due to the tantalising chakra in the air, ‘But yes, it’s a Tailed Beast’s power……My power! Give it back to me!’
Ashley’s eyes widen a little, as she finds standing up straight becoming easier. She places one hand to the side of her head, Hakuba’s frustration and anger giving her the tiniest of pains.
“C-Could it be……The Three Tails?” the young Minami questions, to which Hakuba merely growls, his razor teeth gleaming.
Before Ashley can question the Wolf like Beast any further, she hears a strange roaring sound, which swiftly begins to pick up in volume, until it becomes almost deafening.
“What is……..” Ashley is quick to trail off, her eyes widening with fear, mouth falling open and shoulders drooping due to the sight before her.
Coming right for the young blonde, an immense wave of dark, almost black, water roars through the forest, so powerful that it even manages to tear a few trees from the earth and suck them into its foamy depths.
Swiftly activating her Katsuryoku, Ashley throws her arms out in front of her and slides one foot backwards for balance, heart beating wildly against her chest. Where had this miniature Tsunami come from? And why was it so powerful?! It was making the ground shake!
As the water is about to sweep over Ashley, the girl brings one arm back over her head in a circular motion, causing the wave of water to pass over her, as if she were protected by an invisible, spherical shield.
Ashley’s world is immediately plunged into darkness however, as the powerful wave of water thunders overhead and all around her, pushing against her Katsuryoku with all its might, as if wanting to drown her.
Ashley feels her arms shaking a little from the effort of holding off such a mighty force when, in an instance, she is flooded in light again, signalling that she is no longer surrounded by water.
Raising her head a little and taking slightly shaky breaths, Ashley drops her arms and looks around, as shallow water pools around her ankles. The sudden contact sends a cold shiver up Ashley’s spine, but the girl pays it no mind, too busy wondering where the monstrous wave had come from.
‘I could have done without that surprise….’ Ashley thinks with a nervous giggle, before she places a hand over her heart and sighs. ‘But…..Where did such a huge wave come from? I didn’t know there was any water around here……’
Still feeling her legs trembling a little from the sudden close call she’d just had, Ashley begins carefully wading through the cold, shallow water, focusing her attention on the ground in case of any nearby enemies. Surely that water would have had to have been enhanced with chakra? Water didn’t just move by itself after all…..
After walking for a mere minute or two, Ashley begins to notice a thick, white fog beginning to form around her, causing the girl to scowl.
‘Fantastic’ she thinks sarcastically, waving her hand with irritation, trying to wave the fog away. ‘After that weird chakra and the Tsunami, fog like this is just perfect.’
Feeling the faint vibration of someone taking a step towards her, Ashley’s head whips around to the right, a tooth filled scowl on her face.
“What now?” she growls out loud, raising her arms and taking up a defensive stance. “I’m warning you, I’m really in a foul mood now, so if you’re wanting to die today, feel free to step up. I’ll be happy to oblige you!”
“….That sarcastic attitude…..” a soft, yet very masculine voice chuckles, causing Ashley to freeze. “There’s no mistaking it……”
Her breath catching in her throat, Ashley watches as a tall, dark haired man steps forwards, one hand on his hip as his long, low ponytail swings back and forth from his movements.
Ashley’s eyes wide to an almost painful point behind her Wolf mask, involuntarily beginning to fill with tears. How could this be?
“…You’re definitely your Mother’s daughter” the dark haired man finishes, flashing his brilliant smile, hooded eyes filled with warmth and good humour. Ashley continues to stare at him, an uncomfortable lump catching in her throat as she drinks in the man’s features with her eyes.
Incredibly handsome, the pale skinned man towered over her, his toned muscles visible through the fitted black jacket he was wearing. The man’s dark eyes, a glossy ebony colour, crinkled at the edges as he smiled, his pale skin as smooth and young looking as Ashley had remembered. If the man were to remove his jacket however, Ashley knew there would be a few scars across his arms, back and torso. Scars tended to be the norm for ANBU Black Ops, and this man was no exception, despite his incredible Ninja abilities.
“Ashley-chan?” the man addresses softly, smile fading a little as he tilts his head. “Are you…..Alright?”
“F….F-Father” Ashley barely manages to whisper, her voice cracking as her hands tremble with pure shock. “H-How…..I don’t……..”
The dark haired man smiles again, stretching out his arm and opening his hand, causing Ashley to automatically take a step forwards, the cold water splashing at her feet.
As Ashley approaches the man, her tears now freely flowing down her cheeks, the man bends further and further down, until his daughter tentatively reaches out her shaking hand.
Ashley has to bite her lower lip from sobbing, as she feels the warmth of her Father’s pale hand encompass her own, before he gently tugs her forwards, almost making her stumble. How could this be happening right now? Shigeshi Uchiha was supposed to be dead, yet here he was, as warm and loving as he always had been.
“My Ashley-chan…..” Shigeshi murmurs quietly, using his free hand to grab onto Ashley’s mask. “Though this is the mask I made for you, I want to see your beautiful face….”
Staring up as Shigeshi removes her mask, Ashley watches him through her lashes, the girl’s tears blurring her vision a little. She was so happy to see him…..If having her Father back was all that came of leaving the Leaf Village, it would be worth it. She’d never regret the move. Ever.
“Ashley-chan….” Shigeshi says sadly, his face dropping a little as he places the back of his hand against his daughter’s tear stained cheek. “Why are you crying?”
“D-Dad…..” Ashley whispers hoarsely, before suddenly flinging herself at Shigeshi and wrapping her arms tightly around the man, burying her face into his shoulder. “I….I’ve missed you so much Dad! I was so lonely…..Ever since Mother was t-taken from me! I was left a-all alone Dad…..Please…..Please don’t leave me alone……”
Now smiling once again, Shigeshi closes his eyes and hugs Ashley back just as tightly, making the girl cry even harder.
“I’ll never leave you my Ashley-chan” the man promises sincerely, before placing his hands on the blonde’s shoulders and looking into her eyes, his own dark ones sparkling cheekily. “And you’ll definitely never be alone again. Come with me, Aeri is waiting for us as well!”
“…..M-Mother?” Ashley questions, her bright eyes wide again. “Mother’s still alive too?”
‘Don’t listen to him’ Hakuba warns, only for Ashley to ignore him. Who cared what the moody Juubi had to say. Ashley was getting her family back!
“Of course kiddo!” Shigeshi laughs, rising to his feet and tugging Ashley along by the hand. “She’s just over here! She’s been looking forward to seeing you again.”
“I’ve missed her so much too Dad” Ashley sniffs, her heart lifting with joy at the thought of seeing her incredible Mother again. This day, which had started out so horribly, was turning out to be the best day of the young Minami’s life!
‘It’s a lie’ Hakuba growls faintly, causing Ashley to frown momentarily, before a closed eye smile from her Father makes the blonde laugh giddily. Hakuba was just trying to bring her down, like always!
As a bright Ashley skips along beside her Father, he suddenly pauses and glances down at his daughter for a moment, before raising his head to stare over the girl’s head at something. Seeing the serious look now on his handsome face, Ashley’s smile falters a little.
“Dad?” the blonde Minami asks, shaking Shigeshi’s hand. “Is everything okay?”
Not responding, Shigeshi continues staring at something behind Ashley, though his irises begin to spin rapidly, morphing into a blood red Sharingan.
“D-Dad?” Ashley asks quietly, gasping as tears of blood begin to drip from her Father’s eyes, tainting his pale skin and staining it with the warm liquid. “Dad! What’s wrong?!”
‘Look away!” Hakuba shouts, just as Shigeshi raises a hand to point, causing Ashley to whirl around. ‘Look away!’
As she spins around, Ashley gasps again and takes a few quick steps backwards, shaking her head slowly. A dark figure looms ahead of the girl, his Sharingan eyes very bright in comparison to the shadowy hue of his body. The figure takes a step forwards, pulling something out of its sleeve.
“S-Stay away from us!” Ashley shouts fearfully, wanting to stop what she knows is about to happen. “Don’t take him from me again!”
The dark figure ahead of Ashley takes another step forwards, the thing in its hand glinting sharply. Suddenly unable to move her feet, Ashley cries out helplessly, watching as the dark figure charges forwards, its cloak billowing out behind it. The shadowed man seems to glide over the ground, his feet unmoving as he focuses his eyes on a still pointing Shigeshi.
“Dad!” Ashley calls in a panic, turning around, only to see that her Father is a good ten metres away from her now, though his position hasn’t changed at all. All Ashley can do is throw her hands up to her face, as the shadowed figure slashes her Father across the throat, completely severing Shigeshi’s head from his body.
Ashley pauses for a moment, seeing the blood spurting from her Father’s headless body, the severed head hitting the ground with a hollow thump. It rolls unsteadily towards her, mouth slightly open and Sharingan eyes still seeping blood.
Suddenly unable to hear or feel anything anymore, her panic rising, Ashley begins to hyperventilate, until she lets out a scream of both horror and despair.
“Use it…..” the shadowed figure begins chanting, wavering back and forth as Ashley drops to her knees, shaking hands clenched into tight balls on top of her knees. “Use it……Use it……Use it…..Ashley-chan…..”
“You……” Ashley whispers darkly, head hanging low. “You did this to me….To us…..He was back here with me, and you took him…..…..You…..You bastard! You took him from me again!”
Ashley’s shoulders begin trembling, her anger swiftly beginning to rise, causing her to grit her sharp teeth together and snarl viciously.
“Now it’s your turn to die Itachi-kun!” Ashley explodes, her head snapping up as she jumps to her feet. Opening her blackened eyes wide, the red pinwheel in Ashley’s right eye begins to spin, before a huge ball of black flames shoots away from it and engulfs the shadowed figure in its fiery wrath.
As soon as the flames hit the figure and begin to burn its body, it disappears, along with the beheaded corpse near Ashley. Breathing raggedly, her Sharingan still blazing, Ashley blinks with confusion and glances around, seeing that the fog has begun to ease up.
“Wh-What’s……” the perplexed girl asks out loud, heart pounding against her ribcage and her stomach writhing, as if filled with butterflies. “I don’t understand…..Dad?......”
‘I warned you……..’ Hakuba sighs quietly. ‘It was all an illusion. That Mist is from the Three Tails, and it has the power to pull you into a Genjutsu……I thought you were better than to be dragged into such a simple thing…’
Ashley blinks once again, unclenching her fists and tilting her head, Sharingan fading away as a few drops of blood leak from the girl’s right eye.
“It was all just….” she murmurs slowly, beginning to understand the situation, “….Genjutsu?......”
Standing still for a few moments, Ashley looks down at the ground and feels tears beginning to well up in her eyes again, face involuntarily beginning to scrunch up.
“N-No…..” she whimpers, raising her hands and pressing her palms against her eyes. “It….It felt so real…..He f-felt so…….I wish….I just wish it……”
Unable to stand any more, Ashley drops to her knees once again, and begins crying. Crying with helplessness, sorrow and despair. It was the kind of crying that hurt, right in the heart.
Ashley didn’t like being so vulnerable like this, and she hadn’t cried so pitifully in years. Not since she’d been sitting alone in her room at Orochimaru’s lair, a couple of days after the slaughter of her Clan. Realisation had hit her like a ton of bricks that day, and nothing had been able to console her.
That was the only other time Ashley had ever felt so alone, betrayed and absolutely heart sick. She had never wanted to feel that way again, and yet, this simple Genjutsu had brought her right back to that day. Maybe the illusion hadn’t been real, but since Genjutsu affected the five senses, it had felt so vividly real to Ashley. Her mind and body had been tricked, by a stupid Genjutsu…..
And this time, Ashley didn’t have Kiba or any of her friends to console her and help her out of the black hole that she felt had suddenly begun to swallow her whole.
Tobi lies at the edge of the high, lakeside cliff, chin resting on top of his crossed arms. He shifts his position a little, trying to move away from the rocks that are poking into his chest.
He watches the four Leaf Ninja with interest, as they slowly move across the giant lake with great care. The four female Ninja had their hands together in hand signs and were moving in a square formation, strange blue seals stretching up from their hands and joining together in a sort of net.
“What are they doing down there?” Tobi wonders out loud, before looking to his left. “And there’s another guy down there too…..”
Behind a large rock off to the side of the lake, Tobi can see a green haired figure crouched there, obviously watching the four Leaf Kunoichi as well. What could he be doing? He didn’t look like he was a Leaf Ninja, so Tobi could only assume that the Kunoichi didn’t know he was there.
“Ahh!” the blonde Leaf Ninja suddenly cries, getting a fright when a large fish jumps out of the water beside her. Tobi leans forwards a little, watching as the blue seals coming from the blonde’s hand waver quite a lot, before she is quickly able to regain her cool and adjust her chakra flow, causing the seals to grow still again.
“Ino!” the charcoal haired woman calls. “Just keep your chakra focused on the barrier, alright?”
“Yeah, sorry!” Ino calls back, gritting her teeth and focusing her attention on the glowing seals above her.
“Barrier?” Tobi questions, feeling confused. “No way……It’s impossible……”
Suddenly, the largest seal at the very centre of the Barrier Jutsu begins to pulsate, making the pink haired Leaf Ninja gasp.
“See that?” she cries, mint coloured eyes widening slightly as she tilts her head down to look at the water below. “It….It must be near…..”
“Yes….” the charcoal haired woman murmurs. “It’s directly below us now. Okay, we’re going to move past the search mode of the Four Corners Sealing Barrier. Keep your breathing steady now!”
“Four Corners Sealing Barrier” the four Kunoichi exclaim at the same time, changing their hand sign, “Bind!”
The pulsating seal at the centre of the Jutsu suddenly changes, as the net like seals begin to expand in diameter and rise higher into the air.
“Okay” the dark haired woman speaks up again, “We’ll lower the net into the water as quietly as we can. We don’t want the Three Tails to detect us.”
‘I knew it!’ Tobi thinks wildly, running his hands through his short, black hair. ‘It is the Three Tails!’
Suddenly, Tobi hears a faint noise from behind him, sounding like someone screaming in the distance. He gasps out loud, sitting up and whirling around to look off into the forest.
“Ashley-chan?” the tall male asks, rising to his feet. “That sounded just like Ashley-chan! I better go help her!”
Without a second thought for the Leaf Ninja and Three Tails behind him, Tobi takes off into the forest, determined to find Ashley and make sure she was okay. He could already tell that she wasn’t the type to just scream for no reason, so he could only assume the something bad had happened to her.
Ashley stares down into the water below her, still sitting with her legs folded beneath her, looking at her pale faced reflection.
The girl could see that her eyes were red from crying, and her cheeks were still a little tear stained, though the tears were beginning to ease up now. Ashley continues staring at herself however, noting the blank, unfeeling look on her face.
How was it that when she was feeling so many emotions at once, her face looked as though she couldn’t have cared less? Maybe her face just didn’t know which emotion to express, so it had gone with this one instead.
A slight shiver runs up Ashley’s spine, the cold water beginning to make her legs feel a little numb. Not that the girl cared much however. Her legs would soon match the rest of her body then.
Ashley didn’t remember a time when she’d been so happy that she’d cried, like she had earlier when she’d though her Father was back, and having that ripped away had made her feel strangely empty……That dark figure with the Sharingan……Though it had been nothing but a wispy shadow, Ashley knew that it was Itachi. Just like he had about ten years ago, Itachi had murdered her beloved Father.
And despite the fact that it had just been an illusion, it had made Ashley feel…..angry towards her Uchiha cousin. At least she hadn’t seen Itachi kill her Father in reality, so she could just play it down and pretend that it wasn’t him that had killed her Dad. But now……..Ashley had no doubt that the real murder had been a lot more brutal, but this was still somewhat of a wake up call for the blonde.
If anything, she was feeling conflicted. Confused about her feelings of love and now hate for her older cousin. How would she react if she ever saw him again now? Would she still crave his attention and approval, or would she lose her cool and try to attack him? Not that it would do any good, seeing as Ashley still considered the Uchiha the most powerful Ninja she’d ever come across. Even more so than Kakashi, whom she had also held in high regard.
“Ashley-chan!” someone suddenly cries, landing next to the morose girl with a light splash. “What……What happened?”
Not bothering to look up, Ashley merely closes her eyes and turns her head away, as Tobi crouches down beside her and places a hand on her shoulder.
“Why are you crying?” the dark haired male asks, sounding less childish than he normally did. “Did someone hurt you?”
Tobi watches the silent Ashley for a few moments with concern, having seen her red eyes and the tear that had dripped down her cheek. How long had she been sitting here like this? And why was she sitting here like this? Despite whatever had happened, the girl would catch her death if she continued sitting in this pool of freezing water. Speaking of which, where had the water come from?!
“It’s okay Ashley-chan” Tobi says softly, leaning forwards and placing his other hand on Ashley’s shoulder, before pulling the girl towards him. “I’m here now…..”
Ashley’s eyes widen as she is pulled into Tobi’s chest, the warmth of his body sending a shock through her own frigid one. The blonde immediately grows stiff in Tobi’s arms, her wide eyes quickly beginning to narrow as her lips pull up into a low snarl, teeth visible.
How dare this moron try to comfort and hug her?! Tobi knew nothing about Ashley, and he had no right to act as though her were her protector. He didn’t know of the hardships she’d been through in her life, and he certainly wouldn’t understand what she’d just experienced, even if she explained it. He had no right to touch her!
“Get off of me!” Ashley suddenly snaps, roughly shoving Tobi away from her and leaping to her feet, hands balled into fists. Tobi falls backwards, falling on his butt and leaning back on his hands.
“Ashley-chan?” the dark haired man asks, sounding both confused and a little hurt. “I’m just…..Trying to help.”
“Well don’t!” Ashley barks angrily, baring her teeth and taking a step back from Tobi as he also climbs to his feet. “You don’t know me, so don’t pretend like you do!”
“Tobi knows you better than you might think Ashley-chan!” Tobi sings, suddenly back to his happy go lucky self. “And guess what? Tobi has found the Three Tails! Come with me Ashley-chan! We can catch it together!”
“I know where it is too” Ashley spits, shaking her head. “I don’t need your help……Stay away from me!”
That said, Ashley leaps up into the trees and begins racing away from Tobi as fast as she can, now focusing her attention on finding the Three Tails. She guessed it was behind that tidal wave, and so was going to search for a large source of water.
Flicking her Wolf mask down to hide her face, Ashley can’t help growling with annoyance. While most of the time Tobi just annoyed her, there was something strange about him that just…..Put her on edge a little. As if there was something more to him.
Ashley knew she was probably just overreacting, seeing as it didn’t make sense to her that the Akatsuki would employ someone as childish and stupid as Tobi unless there was something else about him…….
Well, whether or not there was more than meets the eye with Tobi, as long as he stayed away from Ashley, she was quite content.
If you understand the Tag I've put it......I love you :3 If not, I probably do still love you anyway :P