Fighting With One's Self

Chapter 4 - Yoku's Training

Yoku's POV

I struggled a lot more than Yume-chan did, all because she was too proud to help me. I was so embarassed when Deidara-kun-kun led her away after she had perfected all three basic techniques, and told me to try and relax. I wondered whether he disliked me for being so violent - it was the reason I never had any friends before Yume-chan.

I tried taking Deidara-kun's advice and took a few deep breaths before focusing on nothing but mixing the body and mind's energy inside my body before releasing it and, to my surprise, a perfect after-image of myself appeared.

After a week or so I managed to replace myself with a large boulder or log and could successfully transform into Deidara-kun. I caressed a lock of the hair that looked exactly like his, running my fingers over the smooth skin of the cheeks that were exactly like his before getting a hold of myself and calling him in to show him I could execute the techniques.

"Did you take my advice?" he asked softly, and I nodded silently, looking at the floor, "Come with me, un."

I followed him silently through a few unfamiliar corridors until he opened a door and we entered a room empty of other people. The far half of the walls were covered in posters of explosions and there were white clay statues lying all over the floor and surfaces on that half, and my breath caught when I realized I was in Tobi and Deidara-kun's room. Tobi's half was completely blank, like Yume-chan and my room. I stayed in the doorway, waiting for him to finish whatever it was he wanted to do here, and he looked at me expectantly.

"Sit down for a moment, un," he said, gesturing to his bed before moving to the desk and starting to rummage in the drawers.

Heat rushing to my face, I crossed the room, careful not to step on his statues, and sat down on the bed, watching him search for whatever it was he was looking for.

Finally he took a roll of bandages, cotton wool and balm and walked over to me. My ears and tail sprouted despite myself as he kneeled in front of me and softly took my left hand in his.

My imagination ran away with me, and I saw him wearing a suit instead of the deep purple T-shirt and black pants he actually wore. The bandages were really a silver ring with a small diamond--

I winced as he touched the wounds on my knuckles and reality returned. He had been trying to apply the balm using the cotton wool, and his head snapped up sharply when I winced.

"I'm sorry. Please bear with me. Kakuzu is out collecting a bounty and he's the only medic we have, un," he said.

I nodded and he touched the balm-covered cotton wool as gently as he could to my wounds, but it still burned terribly. I was so stupid. Why would I hit a wall like this without thinking of the consequences?

It seemed like utter torture, but I managed to keep myself from screaming and yelling out in pain, and finally, after a while, my wolf ears and tail disappeared again. After what seemed like hours Deidara-kun finished bandaging my hands, and he caressed them once before looking up at me with a faint smile touching his lips.

I swallowed hard. I was going to do this, I was going to manage it, and I did. I choked out the words, "Th-thank you, D-Deidara-kun-kun."

He looked shocked for a moment, seemingly struggling with himself, and I looked away as my ears and tail sprouted again.

"No problem, un," he finally said, and he stood up. I looked at him just in time to note the faint pink-ish tint to his tanned skin.

After a few moments, he led me through more corridors and into another large room, but not quite as large as the first one. Kisame sat on a desk, caressing the bandages on his sword, until we entered. His eyes still totally freaked me out, and I cringed despite myself.