Fighting With One's Self

Chapter 2 - The Leader's Choice

Everyone was silent. We had been walking for at least an hour, and my arms were aching terribly. Yume-chan had tried insulting, negotiating, lying by promising treasures, and even begging the S-rank missing nins to let us go, but Deidara-kun ignored her completely while Tobi just ignored her pleas. They had not even asked us why we didn't just run on the trees like they usually did, so they must have known we didn't know how to use our chakra.

"Ahh, your hair is so pretty, Yume-chan!" Tobi would coo, walking beside her excitedly while playing with her hair, "Deidara-senpai, can I keep her?"

"She's not an animal, un."

"Maybe she's a puppy in disguise, Senpai!" Tobi said, mocking a whining tone.

"I'm not a freaking puppy, you idiot!" Yume-chan yelled angrily, "Just let us go! Please!"

"Don't talk so loudly, Yume-chan," Tobi whispered loudly, "People might hear us."

"WE'RE IN A FOREST!" Yume-chan yelled at the top of her voice, and Tobi ran away to stand behind a tree, peeking out from behind it this way and that.

When he was certain no one would attack us, and he had fallen a considerable length behind, he caught up and started walking beside me instead, causing me to cringe a little in discomfort. I didn't like being close to people, especially strangers.

"You won't be able to get a word out of her," Yume-chan said carelessly, and I glared at her. She knew it wasn't my fault.

"Are you mute, Yoku-chan?" Tobi asked in wonder, and I looked pleadingly at Yume-chan, begging her with my eyes to save me.

"She's not mute," she said, "She doesn't talk to strangers."

"Why not, Yoku-chan?" Tobi asked, as though I had been the one speaking. I walked a little faster so that I was walking inches from Yume-chan, begging her with my eyes again, but Tobi just moved with me, "We're nice strangers. We won't hurt you, Yoku-chan. Isn't that right, Senpai?"

Deidara-kun just grunted a grumpy 'un' as the forest became denser, and suddenly he stopped walking, causing me to blush as I nearly walked into him.

"What now?" Yume-chan asked grumpily.

"Do they have to be blindfolded, too, Senpai?" Tobi asked cheerfully, and my eyes widened with shock. Say what?

"Blindfolded?" Yume-chan asked softly, then raised her voice angrily, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, BLINDFOLDED?! YOU WON'T HAVE ME BLINDFOLDED! LIKE HELL! THERE'S NO WAY-"

Her sentence was cut off when Deidara-kun released a handfull of clay and directed it to each of our faces. I felt my vision darken instantly as the clay wrapped itself around my eyes, and Yume started throwing a fresh wave of curses.

"I WILL KILL YOU, YOU PSYCOPATHIC DICK!" she yelled, "GET THIS FREAKING THING OFF ME!"

A gasp and a small shriek escaped my mouth as my legs were swept from under me and I was held bridal style. Yume-chan's shouts and swearing became even more heated.

"I will kill you if you say another word, un," Deidara-kun said, and my breath caught when I felt the vibrating against my chest and his voice from directly above me. He was the one carrying me? I felt my muscles numb instantly and Yume started muttering curses under her breath instead of yelling them.

Another small shriek - and a terrified yell from Yume-chan - escaped my mouth when I felt myself rise rapidly. A dull clunk of hard rubber on would could be heard as Deidara-kun's feet made contact with a branch. He had started running on the branches of the trees.