Um...Please Don't Eat Me...Chapter 9

.:Chapter 9:.

A strong feeling of righteousness was welling deep in his chest. For once, he was doing the right, for once something good could come from it, something actually good. Her large scroll was strapped to his back, ontop of Samehada, which was closer than he was use to, he wasn't wearing the trademark cloak of Akatsuki. He would return her with her scroll, so she wouldn't get in trouble for not completing her mission, seeing as the scroll still was secure. A honest smile invaded his facial features when he looked down at her quiet form. The wind blew her hair about as they traveled, but she remained undisturbed.

He was doing something right. He was helping another person, he was helping, not harming. He felt stronger with those words, more powerful, more able to protect her. He stared determinedly ahead, wanting to reach his goal before sundown, which wasn't impossible for him.

"Mm..." He looked down at her, slightly worried. He was hoping that she would have stayed unconscious for the entire trip. She groaned again and started to open her eyes. Kisame landed on a nearby branch, waiting for her to come around and explain if need be.

My eyes opened half way and I looked around, confused as to where I was and to what happened. I could feel my body being suspended, so that meant that someone was holding me right? I lifted my heavy head upward and saw Kisame above me.

"Oh..." I mumbled. God, why was I so exhausted? It's almost unbearable...

"Ryuki" he said, pulling me from the sleep that I was aiming for.

"Yeah?" I replied, wondering why he was talking to me. I more concerned with why he was talking and not why he was holding me, which was odd. Probably because I was dead tired and he just happened to be comfortable. He didn't carry on talking though.

"Yeah, Kisame?" I whispered again, looking up at him once more. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"I'm taking you back to Konoha"

Everything fell into silence...

"W-what...?" I asked, stunned. He opened his eyes and repeated himself.

"I'm taking you back to Konoha"

"Why...?" I couldn't stop the question from coming out. I know I should've just stayed quiet and allowed him to take me home, no questions asked, but I couldn't go without knowing why at least.

He didn't answer me, but resumed leaping from branch to branch.

"Kisame" I struggled to move myself upward, but either his grip was too firm or my body was too weak. Probably a combonation of the two. I relaxed and looked back up at him, and he was staring ahead, not down at me. He wasn't going to respond. I closed my eyes and sighed,

"Thank you..." I breathed. I laid my head against his chest and fell immediately back into slumber.

--Hours had passed and it became sundown, the warm colors blending with the impending darker
ones in the vast sky. Ryuki had failed to wake up the entire time, she simply slept in his hold. This slightly worried Kisame. He had stopped a few times to check her pulse, to see if she was alright, it was normal. He would call her name and it took awhile until she responded, like waking up was a huge effort for her. She was making him worry, this kind of slumber wasn't normal. Was her previous chakra freak out that strenuous?

It was now night, the dark blanket had overshadowed them. He slowed down, deciding that they would rest for the night, in case trouble came, he would need strength for that.

"We're going to stop for the night" She wasn't going to answer him, she hadn't all day, but he felt slightly obliged to talk to her, to make up for the past times when he had lost slight control that had resulted in harm on her part.

He landed in a small clearing and gently set her down. He gathered some wood and ignited it with a weak fire jutsu, usually that was Itachi's job. As the fire crackled to life, he took a seat next to the Jinchuuriki's body. Her form was completely relaxed and she breathed deeply, lost in the world of sleep. A large blue hand slowly reached out and stroked her cheek, which earned him no reaction. He sighed and leaned against the tree that was rooted behind him, closing his eyes, his hand softly holding hers.

There was a sharp crack that shattered the night and Kisame was instantly on his feet, hand on the hilt of Samehada and her scroll was on the ground. His gold eyes were narrowed as he searched the terrain, a growl starting to form. There was a sudden flash and he had to cover his eyes momentarily, the immediate flash made spots appear in his vision. After a moment of blinking in order to see straight, he looked around searching for the attacker.

When he failed to see anyone, a fear struck him hard and fast. He whipped his head around to see where Ryuki's body was suppose to lay and he saw nothing, not even the scroll.

"No..." he breathed, his heart pounding faster. "No!"

"Ryuki!!"

Deidara laughed under his breath as he sprinted off with the sleeping girl in his arms, he could hear Kisame's voice echoing throughout the forest. He looked down when he felt Ryuki start to squirm.

"Kisame..." she mumbled, her azure eyes opening slightly. "Kisame...?"

"No, it's Deidara yeah" he told her, sending her a friendly grin.

"No..." she shook her head slowly. "Kisame..."

"It's Deidara" he said again. Her eyes were now part way open and she was starting to move. Her mind was still thickly clouded but she knew something was wrong.

"Ryuki!!" Deidara flinched at Kisame's loud volume, it had even startled the birds from the trees. He
held Ryuki tightly with one arm while his other hand muched on some clay, which he molded into a bird that grew large enough to transport them. He landed on it's back and began to fly through the trees, and then they gained altitude and they flew above the thick canopy.

"No...no..." she was moving more now, using all of her little strength. Deidara placed her gently on the bird's back and she tried to pull from his hold.

"Everything's fine, yeah. You don't have to worry Ryuki" he smiled slightly when he said her name. She shook her head, while still trying to pull out of his hold, unaware that if she pulled away fully that she would fall.

"Calm down, I'm taking you home, yeah"

"But...Kisame was taking me..." she said, her eyes showing obvious confusion. An idea came to Deidara's mind and he though fast.

"Ryuki...he was lying to you, yeah..." he told her, his voice serious and sad. Liar.

"What..?" she whispered, her confusion even more proment. He nodded solemnly.

"I overheard him bragging about his plan to the other members," he said, weaving his lie into her ungaurded mind. "He said that he would lie to you and lure you into the trap that would kill you"

"No...that's not right..." she muttered, her mind starting to fall back into darkness. She couldn't fight her desprete need for rest.

"Only I love you, Ryuki" he whispered in her ear. "Only me, yeah"

--Kisame was seething with rage as he propelled himself after Deidara's chakra signature, the dirty bastard. He was gripping Samehada so tight that his knuckles had long ago turned white, as he bared his sharp teeth in a scowl. He had never been so angry before. He had never had a concentration of hatered so high. The crisp night air whipped against his exposed skin, seeing as he was wearing his sandels, dark pants, tanktop and arm warmers. The heavy Akatsuki cloak wasn't there to insulate him.

What if she really was sick? He didn't want her to be in the care of that flaky artist.

"Kisame...thank you..."

"Hero-sama!"

Different memories flooded his thougts at once, but his goal was Ryuki and her alone. Nothing else mattered.

He just wanted her to be happy...

--Dawn was greeting the sky, pushing back the dreary night with it's warm rays, while Konoha's gates drew closer.

Deidara landed in a thicket of trees and placed the sleeping demon host on the soft grass, she didn't stir. He made the bird vanish and he removed the trademark cloak, stuffing it into the nearby bush. Then he removed his hairtie, letting the extra layer of hair fall, and then he tied it back into a low ponytail. He removed his scope and put it in his pocket, then pulled a tan poncho with a collar out and pulled it over his darker clothes. He quickly removed his headband, that would've been a dead give away to who he was. He covered his hands with a light layer of dirst, to camoflage his two extra mouths that rested on his palms, and he smeared some across his cheek, so he would look more farm like and not like an Akatsuki member.

"Help! Help!" he shouted loud enough for the gate gaurds to hear. "Somebody help!" He knelt down and hoisted Ryuki up, scroll and all, so that she was leaning against his shoulder. She didn't stir.

"Ryuki-san!" called out one of the gaurds, who obviously reconized her.. He stopped in front of them and lifted her fully off her feet and started to make his way back.

"Follow me sir, you will have to answer a few questions" he instructed. Deidara nodded, holding back
a smirk. This plan was running so easily

The white room was instantly filled with people. Medic ninjas were going about runnng tests and taking notes while ANBU members confiscated the scroll checking for any damage. Hatake Kakashi was even there, noted Deidara slightly uncomfortably.

"So what's your name? I'm afraid we've never met" He flinched slightly when Kakashi spoke to him, but he had to keep his cool.

"I'm Iwasawa Daiku" he said, biting back the usual 'yeah' he would've tagged to the end of the sentance, afraid it would give him away.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi" he introduced. "So how did you come across our ninja?"

"She collapsed in our field as I was headin' out. She told me who she was and asked how close she was to Konoha." explained Deidara, trying to dumb his speech down to a farmer's level. "I told her 'not too far' and she started to talk real fast then. Somethin' about escaping and a blue man"

"A blue man?" repeated Kakashi, his noticeable eyebrowed furrowed slightly.

"Yeah, a blue man and then she was out like a light. So, I carried her on over here, seein' as that's where she was headin'." finished Deidara, who was hoping that they're weren't any holes that would unravel his story.

"Kakashi" said the head medic, who was in charge of all of the tests that were going on. "We've got an update"

"Very well" The doctor took a breath.

"She's very unresponsive. She's hardly moved, but she's physically fine, a little dehydrated but that's it. Her problem is her chakra..." he paused. "Her chakra is very low, almost non-existant"

"How can someone's chakra be non-existant? Everyone has some chakra, even non ninjas" said Kakashi. "Is that even possible?"

"It's possible for chakra to be exhausted to a degree but her chakra is dwindling, like a dying fire.
It's the potential reason that she's so unresponsive"

"What happens if her chakra fails altogether?" asked Kakashi

"Can that happen?" spoke up Deidara.

"That may be possible, and if it does occur, she may never wake up"

"Can we stop it from declining?" asked Kakashi, his voice concerned.

"I'm not sure. I'll need to run a background check on her in case there's any weakness in chakra stability in her family"

"Alright, I'll find out what I can"