Return Of The Madness

Chapter 8

Deidara knew his time was up. A black hole had taken his arm, making him drop Yuma onto the clay bird and knocking her out of her catatonic state.

Her rust colored eyes stared up at his injured form as his face twisted in pain. Crimson tears welled in her eyes as she scrambled to her feet, staring at his bloody wound.

"Dei?!" She cried out, pushing her hands over the gruesome stump to try and stop the rush of blood.

Her worried, rust-colored orbs looked to his sky blue ones.

"I'm sorry, un," he chuckled humorlessly, placing his only remaining hand on her charcoal hair.

"N-No! We can..." She hesitated as panic gripped her heart. Her friend had just apologized to her, though rather than an apology, it sound more like a goodbye.

He pulled her closer, pressing his lips to the crown of her head as the crimson tears spilled over, carving a harsh path down her cherubic face.

"I love you, imouto, un," he smiled at her, watching as her eyes grew large at his words.

"Dei-" she was cut off as the side of his hand collided with her neck, and she fell unconscious. His arm wound around her waist, holding her to his chest as he blinked back sorrowful tears.

He took a deep, steadying breath before he morphed his face into cocky grin as he looked over the side of his bird. They'd already managed to recover the corpse that once held the One Tailed Beast. Now they chased after him purely to recover their friend.

"Oi!" He called down, stopping the forward movement of his creation. He tossed Yuma's limp body off, watching the Copy Cat Nin jump up to catch her as the Nine Tails glared up at him suspiciously.

"Don't let anything happen to her, un!" He yelled, jabbing his remaining thumb into his chest. "Or I'll return just to kick your asses, yeah!"

And with that, he loaded the large mouth on his chest with explosive clay, urging his creation to fly higher and higher as he closed his eyes, turning his face to the sky.

"Yuma, un," he whispered, picturing her wide, twisted smile as pain began to form in his chest. He was at Death's door, but that was alright. "I'm sorry, un..."

"Naruto, pull back!" Kakashi yelled, cradling his long lost baby cousin against his chest. Tears burned his eyes at the sight of her, safe in his arms again. She didn't recognise him, or if she did, it was a horrible, inaccurate version of him. But she was safe. Soon she would be home again. Everything will be as it should.

The two Leaf shinobi ran off as an explosion shook the trees and scattered the birds. Woodland creatures fled the scene with them as the duo made their way back to the other half of their team.

~~~

Zetsu had witnessed both battles, both defeats, both gestures of love for Yuma. He knew that Leader-sama would want Yuma recovered. He could have taken her back. He could have melted into the trees, grabbed her arm as she'd fallen from the bird, and taken her with him back to the base.

But returning her to the base was little more than a death sentence. No matter how great a tool, Leader-sama wouldn't keep her alive without absolute faith in her loyalties, and with her memories returning to her, her loyalties were sure to waver.

And Zetsu, neither Black nor White, wanted Yuma to die. Sure, the energetic and twisted teen was a thorn in his side half the time, what with her ridiculous nicknames and silly 'experiments', but she was a thorn he was fond of. She had helped him plant nearly all of his garden with her lightning quick speed, he'd tended to any of her burns with the aloe vera they'd grown together, and more often than not she'd offer to find him a tasty victim when he'd voice his hunger.
She never recoiled from his choice of food, never treated him any more different than she treated the others. Rather than expressing repulsion, she showed him nothing less than her usual playfully dark nature. She made him feel normal.

He wouldn't take her to her own death.

So he watched the silver haired man look at her with a shining gaze of love and relief. He watched her be taken away. His heart was heavy, and he knew she'd have a hell of a time when she woke up.

But she'd be safe. And at least he knew he could watch over her with his near-undetectable camouflage.

"Farewell, Yuma," he rumbled. His dark half spoke in a deeper, gruffer voice as he sank back into the tree he had half-emerged from. "Good luck."