Chapter 12
Hours later into her second day in Suna, Kaiya came back to full consciousness. For a moment she didn’t make a move to sit up only put her hands behind her head, crossing her fingers over each other. She stared up at the grey wall above her passively for awhile until her boredom hit rock bottom. Then her eyes shifted over to where Kankuro still sat blankly in his seat. Well she was supposed to study him as well, right?
A small smile lit up her face before she cooled it down to boredom. Rolling off of the hard bed and onto her feet she stretched briefly, letting a loud yawn out. Tilting her head at him Kaiya made steady progress over to the bars. Where she promptly set her elbows on the bar going horizontal and letting her hands lean outside the bar.
As she settled in Kankuro continued blatantly ignoring her. In a bored tone Kaiya began, “Sooo, how do you suck so much that you’re on guard duty?” Without even glancing at her he rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat. “You’re one of those people who lack survival instincts, aren’t you?” was his snide remark. The sentence made Kaiya pause thinking back to all the times she’d annoyed Sasori, Kisame and even Kakuzu. She let out a genuine laugh and shook her head before the sound faded and looking up to the ceiling she replied, “Well, I’ll get back to you when we know which one of us lives longer.”
She ignored the surprised look he flashed her before scowling, “You do know I could kill you at any moment?” “Yup, I know!” she answered brightly. “So why don’t you shut up then?” “Because I’m bored and it’s so quiet. Plus, I’m tired of talking to the voices in my head. Besides, I’m sure you’re a great conversationalist” to Kaiya’s reply he finally glanced at her with a dry look that said it all. “You know you’re insane, right?” he snapped. Kaiya let out a giggle in response, “Of course I am, and so are you!” “No I’m not!” Kaiya leaned towards him and smiled daringly before stating challengingly, “Yes you are. Everybody is because you know where the real insanity is,” she gestures towards her head. “In here.”
For the first time he lets out a full expression pulling back from her incredulously. Kaiya laughs outright at him stopping the insane look she’d been giving him. “Why the weird face?” she asks teasingly. “Shut up, I don’t have a weird face!” he snaps back scowling at her. Tilting her head Kaiya then begins studying the lines of purple face-paint decorating his face, “Speaking of weird, why are you wearing makeup? I’m a girl and I’m not even wearing makeup.” “It’s not makeup” he retorts. “Besides you’re wearing nail polish.”
At that Kaiya actually pauses any response to study her nails, frowning. She shrugged looking back up at him, “Oh right, I forgot about that. But you’re still wearing makeup.” He throws his hands into the air, pushing out of his chair at the same time. “That’s it, screw it! I quit!” Lips forming into her signature smirk Kaiya comments amused, “Aww giving up already? Coward.” The room’s atmosphere shifted in a split second making the Uchiha pause.
Kankuro had completely stopped where he stood, only turning his head back to glare at her, “What’d you call me?” “Nothing,” the kunoichi replied in a singsong voice.
He stormed back over to her until their faces were only inches apart, only the bars separating them. The Suna Nin let a hand grip a bar angrily, he leaned closer, “No, I heard you. Say it again.” Kaiya’s smile turns dangerous and in a flash she snags his wrist with one hand, holding it into her side of the bars, pulling him closer against it, as his eyes widen. Deliberately, she leans closer to him and whispers, “Coward.” When he began to struggle out of her grasp, she twisted it into a harsh manoeuvre Kisame had used on her before. But just as she does so Kaiya’s Sharingan flickers over to his fingers, catching the sign of chakra usage on his fingertips, they were stained blue with heavy chakra resting there. She’d seen the same thing with Sasori-Senpai sometimes. With her free hand she begins playing with his fingers curiously, he was the first puppet master she’d met other than her Senpai.
Hiding the curiosity she felt Kaiya instead announced flippantly, “You know, there are five different ways I could break your fingers right now. But that would be inconvenient for you wouldn’t it, Puppet-Boy?” When his eyes widened she realized to him she shouldn’t have known about his jutsu. In response he began fighting to break free of her grip and at his hardest tug she released him sending him flying back against the cold, hard wall. A pleased laugh made its way out of the Uchiha’s throat.
“You want to know who’s a coward. You,” Kaiya’s laughter was cut off immediately, shifting to full attention as he continued sharp and bitingly. “Someone who goes about destroying lives and people around you without a care in the world. A coward is someone who takes the lives of who they love! They kill and kill endlessly while they them self go on living. You care nothing for others only yourself and deserve nothing for all the lies you’ve surely told! A coward like you, who lives for nothing good, shouldn’t live at all!” At that moment Kaiya’s mind flashes to Itachi, so many years ago when his face had been spattered in their family’s life blood. His face set grimly and the light leaving his eyes in a way it had never returned. Kaiya snapped.
“To you a coward is someone who kills carelessly and without regret. No, a coward is someone who lets his regret hurt others. In reality a coward would never do anything to save someone other than himself. They wouldn’t give up their entire life, surrender it and destroy who they are for someone else’s fate. They’ll lie, and kill and destroy them self all to protect another.” The three locks at the staircase clicked open, but she was beyond caring. “A coward would never do anything to protect others with their own life! They’d never give up their life! That’s a coward!” Her breathing was coming in ragged breaths as she and Kankuro stared at each other. It was as Temari and Gaara appeared from the stares that Kaiya re-centered her expression, becoming blank in the matter of a second.
Without looking at her his siblings began to pull Kankuro away and out of the room. Kaiya turned her attention away from him, staring impassively at the wall. He continued watching her as he was taken up the stairs. In the blink of an eye those dangerous red eyes shifted, into brilliant blue highlighted onyx. Before they returned to bloody crimson, and she turned away.
When Kaiya straightened herself out on the cell bed she rubbed her eyes for a moment before looking up around the dark room. Taking the chance she went over all the information she’d extracted so far. Primarily; the Akatsuki would be targeting Gaara, a child much like the nine-tails host, who hosted the one-tail Shukaku. He was held by suspicion and distrust within his village but was apparently making headway. The village elders, she assumed, were contemplating him for Kazekage. His sand seemingly functioned even without his full consent; thereby most likely it protected him as well. In addition he had two siblings both seeming to have protective instincts towards him, although she wasn’t quite sure they had a concrete relationship by the hesitance Temari had shown in telling him what to do…The siblings didn’t seem to split up so there was the possibility of facing multiple opponents that all held authoritative positions within Suna.
Kaiya had to pause.
She let out a breath with a heavy heart. The weight on her shoulders still didn’t lift. That dobe Kankuro might sadly be right about her even if he wasn’t about her Onii. No matter what, she was helping plot the deaths of kids no different from her little brother. What kind of person was she? Another sigh and the Uchiha shook her head. It’s ridiculous to think like this, Kaiya reminded herself.
Looking around her confinements she took a guess at time being somewhere into the night of her second day here. Three day time limit, then they’d get true interrogators in here, maybe even sent in from Konoha. If that happened she’d be stuck in a hard place. So it was only a few more hours of espionage then. Centering her body and forcing the guilt seeping into the back of her mind Kaiya re-initiated the chakra flow to her five senses and listened into the conversations above her again. All the while keeping one thought in her mind, Danzo was still being fed information by Itachi; there would be a way to stop it all. Somehow.
Kaiya pulled back from listening in as she slowly opened her eyes to stare at a guard who stopped at the bottom of stairs. Turning his back on her and crossing his arms without a word. Shifting into a sitting position she inquired lightly, “Say, what time is it?” He turned his head towards her by a fraction responding gruffly “What? Do you have somewhere to be?” “I just might,” she answered gleefully. The guard only shook his head turning back from her “Morning.” Afterwards she heard his faint mumble only detected by her still refined senses, “The Leaf should be here soon at least…”
She smiled faintly with his back turned and let her senses return back to normal. Leaning back against the wall Kaiya paused in thought.
After waiting for the time to tick by, Kaiya sat up with a heavy sigh, glancing around the dim cage. In a wistful tone she announced, “Suna truly is quite beautiful, but spending my time here in an underground prison is much less appealing. I’d say it’s time to go now.” At this, her guard came to attention with careful alarm, leaving the stairs to stand in front of her cell. “Hey, what do you think you’re mumbling about?” he demanded, already irked. A wicked smile formed on the Uchiha’s lips and in a flash she held up a hand, her dark ribbons shifted into red and they came to life. As her chakra flowed from her body to the ribbon it spun off her arms and out the bars to wrap around the Suna Nin’s body. The man yelped in surprise and pain when he was slammed against the bars, next to Kaiya.
“When,” he stuttered out. “How! How are you doing this with the chakra blocker?” She gave him a sharp grin, eyes glinting in the faint lighting. “Oh, I’ve been slowly streaming my chakra though these for the entirety of my stay here. Just slight enough that the cell couldn’t stop it. Now,” she responded gleefully. “Give me the keys, I’m out of here.” The guard’s confidence seemed to return “And if I don’t?” “I’ll take them from you,” Kaiya shot back. He replied starkly, “What’s the rush?”
Kaiya shook her head endearingly, “I’ve been here long enough and testing Senpai’s patience is more dangerous than coming here through the front door.” “I’d like to see you put that to the test,” he snorted. The Uchiha smirked viciously.
Her hand snaked into his pocket through the bars then out, gripping shining silver keys. In another second she was outside the bars–knocking down the second chakra barrier they’d put in place–standing before the guard, “I already did.” She paused and her grin widened, “But by all means, be my guest.” She then proceeded to pull him with her. A smug look passed over his eyes when they were met by the triple-locked door. Kaiya only chuckled before pursing her lips and making quick work of them. She’d heard the Sand Siblings unlocking them enough times after all.
A few minutes and she’d opened the door with ease. Pulling the guard along with her by the back of his shirt, a ribbon tucked over his mouth. Creeping through the silent walls she tensed as every scrape echoed along the corridor. Continuing until she came upon a window. But just as she opened it, there was a click followed by a blazing alarm that made her ears ring. Kaiya shot a narrowed eye glare at the guard’s smug expression. Shrugging, she ignored the sound and vaulted over and out the window, landing on the soft sand ground. Although it was blazing hot. She could see Shinobi already gathering among the streets. Veering direction Kaiya jumped and landed perched atop the Kazekage building. Admittedly, probably her worst move ever. The pale redhead stared at her with impassive teal eyes. Eyes that narrowed a fraction when he caught sight of Kaiya and her captive. Fighting a jinchuriki had definitely not been in her plans. And she wasn’t about to add it.
Kaiya flung out a hand, making her ribbons lash out and toss the guard towards Gaara and over the edge of the roof. They retracted back immediately onto her forearm, returning to navy blue. Kaiya then dove back through the air, away from the redhead her cloak flying wildly around her. She landed crouched on the street and took off running at top speed. She dashed by the Shinobi in a blur, narrowly avoiding the weapons they sent flying at her. She felt one manage of graze on a neck and her speed burst up. Just when she was nearing the edge of the village, kunai flung directly into her path. Gritting her teeth the Uchiha skidded to a stop. The blades dug into the ground before her, glinting with poison. A scowl formed on her pink lips and suddenly she was surrounded; two puppets on either side of her, Kankuro was standing arms crossed, fingertips glowing blue, in front of her. She could feel not only Gaara’s, but Temari’s chakra behind her. More Shinobi were on their way, but staying back.
Glancing from her peripherals, the blonde kunoichi tugged her large fan off her back and whipped it, sending a flurry of chakra charged wind tearing towards Kaiya. She flung herself up into the air to dodge, only to have sand, violent and deadly, swarming after her.”So not fair,” she grumbled. Grunting, Kaiya’s hands blurred into signs before she shouted, “Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!” The flames made contact with the sand the two powers clashing against each other and allowing Kaiya to let her body be pushed backwards by the force of the blows. She landed on the ground just as her flames receded and Gaara’s sand pulled back. But another moment and the larger puppet from before was in front of her, pulling her into its confines. With certainty she knew they didn’t plan on taking her alive anymore. “Ah, baka!” she muttered. Then just as the poison tipped blades stabbed fiercely into the body of the puppet, Kaiya’s body dissolved into butterflies.
Yards away the black insects swarmed atop the canyon wall, before forming into the Akatsuki member. As she watched, the sand Siblings stood around the puppet in disbelief while a few remaining butterflies floated out and around the puppet. Kaiya’s hand moved to grip her upper arm tightly, a steady stream of blood flowed past her fingers. She turned her back to them diving off the canyon walls.
Soon after Kaiya injected herself with the anti-poison she kept on hand the burning in her veins slowed and stopped completely. “Kankuro…his poison was the same base as Sasori’s if that antidote worked so quickly…interesting,” she murmured while skidding over dunes with sand tossing up around her. Beneath her cloak her arm was bandaged neatly and the skin was slowly returning to normal with the help of her chakra. It also helped that after training with the puppet for so long she’d been scratched and injected with his poison numerous times; she had a slight immunity to it. As much as you could get with the death rate the substance had.
With that thought in mind Kaiya pouted slightly and picked up her pace. The sun was high in the sky burning down on her but heat stroke was her smallest problem now, she’d meant to be somewhat late, currently though, Kaiya was truly pushing it.
When she burst through the door of the meeting place, deactivating seals and locks in the process she tripped and fell face first on the ground. A groan sounded from her spot on the floor where Sasori regarded her impassively. “Took you long enough,” he said gruffly. Groaning more Kaiya began pushing herself up muttering snidely, “I make it through Suna pretty much unscathed but I still lose to that stinkin’ metal wire!” Glancing over her shoulder to glare at the glinting string, while the smugness was radiating off Sasori through his puppet. “So it seems,” he scoffed, “You truly don’t grow up.”
Kaiya jumped up spinning to face him and grinned, “Grow up? Then tell me how is it I’m taller than you now?” she remarked cheerfully. He grunted and rolled his eyes at her before moving to shuffle away. In a blinding flash his tail had appeared, darting out of his cloak towards the Uchiha. At the same time, Kaiya took half a step back. When they froze the tail was shining lethally, not an inch from her nose. The tail slowly retracted and she laughed, the sound echoing around the room, “I know you too well sometimes Saso-Senpai.” “What an annoyance,” he grumbled turning towards the door, “Grab your blades and let’s move, we’re wasting time.” Still holding in giggles Kaiya complied with his orders before following behind him back down the path.