"For what?" She asks. "Slapping you? Because I'm willing to do that again. It felt great. Amazing even."
"For not making me tell them about the spying. Or the plotting against Orochimaru. Or the War."
...
"They've had enough excitement for one day." Ino says as she buries her face into my shoulder. "Hell I've had enough excitement for the whole month and the mission isn't even over yet."
"Sorry? That's kinda my fault." I awkwardly admit. Hey it's tough to own up to all the shit I did.
"Yes." Ino instantly agrees. "Yes it is. It's completely your fault."
"I did warn everyone that I don't have normal missions. Everything goes wrong around me."
"You were so right." Ino laughs to herself again. "Seriously why the hell does nothing ever go smoothly for you?"
"I ask myself that question every day." Hold on a moment. She's cursing. Ino doesn't curse. "Well would you look at that. Anko must be a bad influence on you. First ass, then hell, and hell again. Ino you potty mouth!"
"You have no right to talk about me cursing." Ino says with an accusatory tone. "I've never heard anyone else come close to the things you say."
"Yeah I curse a fucking lot. Exhibit A, right there. Haha that was a good one! Wow I need to get out more."
"Yeah you really do."
"Uh… Ino?"
"Yes?"
"Is there a reason you're feeling up my back?" She's been running her hands up and down it for a while now.
"It's just so strange." She says distractedly. "Do you have any idea how weird it is to hug someone with five masks on their back? There's no good spot for me to put my arms."
"Well aren't you feeling confident. You have the balls to slap me then feel up my back within the same ten minutes?"
"Shut up or I slap you again." She threatens. "Seriously though aren't they extremely uncomfortable? Even sitting down in a chair they have to get in the way, not to mention laying down on your back."
"Eh you get used to it." I nonchalantly say. "So… just out of curiosity just how long are you going to keep hugging me? Not that it isn't nice but you don't want to send the wrong message."
"EEP!" Ino breaks the hug and quickly steps away with a blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "I'mGoingToGoNowBye!"
With those inspiring parting words Ino flees from room.
"Fucking dammit!" I faintly hear on the wind, it sound suspiciously like Anko.
"Well. That wasn't strange at all." I shrug to myself and make my way out of the room too.
...
Later
I've wandered off on my own for a bit under the disguise of scouting for threats. I've move way ahead of the trucks to survey the terrain and what not but in reality I wanted to be alone for a bit. Or in my case just me and the Jiongu.
I need to have a conversation with it and I don't want to be overheard or seen as crazy. Again. Cuz I've definitely not done that recently.
"Hey Jiongu?"
~Yes Host?~
"Thanks. For everything."
~You don't need to thank me. You are my Host and I am your Parasite. One can no longer exist without the other so we protect each other. From all sources, pain, violence, and even yourself.~
"Still it has to be said. Thank you Jiongu."
~Sureddo.~
"I'm sorry?"
~Names are not something that someone decides for themselves, they are given. Before we left on this trip you referred to yourself as Sureddo be cause it was 'your thing.' But that thing you got the name from was me, hence you called me Sureddo. You've named me. So that is what I've decided upon. My name is Sureddo.~
"It's nice to meet you Sureddo." I affectionately say to my friend.
~It's nice to meet you Alvarcus.~
That's the first time that it has called me by my name.
...
The Next Morning
"Summoning Jutsu!" I lightly tap the floor of the room I'm alone in.
We've made camp in an 'abandoned' town. It's not really abandoned, it just looks like that from an observative view. In reality this is where the group of men that came to attack the train were stationed, this is their camp.
I've wandered around for two reasons. One: to familiarize myself with the layout. Two: I wanted to find a private spot to talk to Shirokumo.
I need to apologize to him.
There's a small puff of smoke that materializes where I touched the floor. That's it, there's no warm greeting of Sup Al. Just the puff of smoke and a very irate white spider glaring at me.
This is going to suck. That doesn't matter, it needs to happen.
"Shirokumo I am sorry." I immediately apologize to him with the first words out of my mouth. "I'm sorry for lashing out at you and taking my anger out on you when all you were trying to do was look out for me. I'm sorry that I've been such an asshole."
"I've been under such an insane amount of stress and pressure. I've just shoved all of that into a metaphorical glass container and it finally shattered. I know that you only were looking out for me, that what you said wasn't intended to piss me off. So I am sorry. Truly, I am."
"You're damn right you should be sorry!" Shirokumo shouts at me. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to put up with you? My life used to be easy! Easy! Ever since you came into the picture it's been a shitstorm!"
"Well I won't argue that." I weakly admit, I know how messed up my life here has been firsthand. Then I let a cheeky smile form on my face. "But it's been a hell of a lot of fun, hasn't it?"
"You're right you dick." Shirokumo lets out a happy chuckle and climbs up me to rest on my head. I have no idea why he likes it up there so much. "So what happened?
I wince. "Long story incredibly short: The Konoha nin tried to make me realize the error of my ways by ganging up on me to have a surprise intervention. I… kinda didn't take it well."
"No shit." Shirokumo snorts. "What did you do? Please say you didn't threaten to kill anyone."
"Oh. Uh. So funny you should mention that…"
"Al. Please say you didn't." Shirokumo begs me but he already knows the answer.
"Maybe a little?" I squeak out. "Only… everyone but Koyuki."
"Al come on! You can't solve everything like that!" Shirokumo thwaps me on the head with two of his legs. "Obviously you've all patched things up. Right?"
"Yeah. We're mostly cool. I still have some redeeming stuff to do for a couple of the members but they're no longer going to come after my head. Hopefully. Anyways they shouldn't, I've been pulled out of my funk and am willingly helping them now."
"Huh." That entire concept stumps Shirokumo. "Who pulled you out of your funk? And why the hell are you calling it a funk? There's got to be a better word for it."
"There probably is a better word for it but funk makes it sound less like I was a murderous blood starved monster that got off on torturing people that caused me minor inconveniences. So yeah, I'm sticking with funk."
"Good point." Shirokumo agrees with me wholeheartedly. "So who was it? Sure as hell wasn't me. That Ino girl?"
"Why does everyone assume it was her?" Why is that a thing? Seriously this is becoming a trend. What the hell people?
"Uh… she's the only one of your friends to know most of the big picture? She's the only one of them that's experienced a sliver of your suffering? She's the only one who doesn't constantly judge you on your actions, she just wants to make sure you're okay? She's the one who knows you the best. That's what it all boils down to. Well here at least, I'm sure Sasuke knows you better than she does but he doesn't know that you're doing all of that extra stuff on the side. You know, the whole Akatsuki stuff."
"Oh yeah, speaking of the Akatsuki I want you to do something for me."
"Oi. Later." Shirokumo pokes the top of my head. "We're talking about who got you out of your funk. So who was it?"
"Sureddo." I easily supply but Shirokumo doesn't understand. "The one being that knows me the best out of everyone, including Sasuke. The Jiongu."
"Really?" Shirokumo says in disbelief. "The bloodthirsty heart stealing thread monster convinced you to stop being a bloodthirsty heart stealing thread monster? Don't you hear how absurd that sounds?"
"Oh yeah, threw me for a loop too." I assure him. "But there's something you got wrong there, hell even the Konoha nin assumed this too."
"Go on." Shirokumo urges.
"I've decided to start to care again. About people. About things. Just caring in general. Basically I'll stop instantly resorting to extreme methods right off the bat, the days of me horribly burning someone because they won't get out of my way are over. That's what's changed about me, my threshold for using violence has increased.
I'm still going to be violent when I battle. I'm still going to mock and tease my opponents so viciously they'll think I'm insane or drive themselves to insanity instead.
Everyone thinks that I'm back to being the chipper innocent - okay innocent ish - Alvarcus they once knew, the me before I left for Orochimaru. But I can never truly go back to being that person, even if I don't want to admit it Orochimaru has stained me a different color."
...
A/N:
If we hit 500 Power Stones by the end of this week, I'll drop an extra chapter as a thank-you!
Thanks for the support! ;)
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