A Tobi Fanfic: Swirlypop no Jutsu

Chapter 6 - Forgiven with food

Chapter 6

TOBI

I could hear Sasori clamouring about in his room next to mine. What a lucky bastard, not needing to sleep and all. But for others like myself, the racket proved to be worse off than listening to a bedtime story about kittens. I'd only slept a few hours before being rudely awoken to the sound of his 'art'. Just like the last night, and the one before that...

I threw a kunai at the wall. It wouldn't do much to blemish the stone, but I knew Sasori would hear the metallic 'ting'. His working paused for a moment, before I heard a clamour and a grunt in response. "Get over yourself, Tobi. Your beauty sleep can wait. Right now my art is the only thing which matters."

"But Tobi will be shitty all fucking day tomorrow if he doesn't get some sleep soon!" I let the words slide loose, naturally resorting to the 'Tobi' voice despite my drowsy state. I rolled over with my back against the wall, stuffing a pillow over my head while the sound carried out through the night.

AYAKO

Door unlocked? Check. Dark hallway? Check. The coast was clear? Check. Now... Which way was the kitchen? I gingerly stepped through the doorway of my room-like cell and made it out through the tunnel. I couldn't see a thing. It was like walking into an invisible world, impossible to distinguish where you were going. There were no windows underground, so it wasn't like I could open a curtain to shed some light.

I wandered aimlessly in the dark until I bumped into something cold. The skin on my nose grazed from the sudden roughness, surely making it bleed. I whined from the sting, I really hoped it wouldn't form a scab. My hands felt along the cold stone until I decided a direction and followed it along the wall.

It would have been nice with fitted torches along the way, it would have been easier to pick direction. Then I remembered the candle and lighter sitting in the bottom of my pouch, and sieved them out. Survival tactic number 'whatever', always prepare for any situation. I wasn't too good at any kind of jutsu that would shed a bit of light, so always packing a candle seemed like a good alternative. "There." Satisfied, I took a better look at my surroundings. It just so happened I was headed in the wrong direction. "Bloody hell." I cursed, and followed the wall back to my starting position.

Gazing up at the door I had come from, I wedged a shuriken deep into the wood, in the hopes I was able to distinguish it from the other five later on. If memory served correctly, then two corners to the left should have been where I met with Sasori. After that I would be able to find my way back to the main room, and from there I could find the kitchen.

Sure enough I had made it the right way. Another five doors were position along the walls to my right and left, and the one I remembered to be Sasori's was at the end. Surprisingly, his light was still on, spilling out beneath a closed door. Was he still awake? Curious, I tip-toed closer and pressed my ear against the door.

I could hear creaks and groaning wood, and a soft voice that was nothing like the raspy one I was introduced to. "Why are you doing this now, Hiroko? I am trying to improve your performance, so work with me here!" Another wooden creak. "There we go." The commotion halted, and a chair scraped across the stone floor as someone got up. Then there was silence, until I jumped when the voice was suddenly transported to the other side of the door. If I hadn't known any better I would have screamed. "Who is it?"

I remained silent. Maybe if I pretended he was imagining things, he might go back to what he was doing. I pulled back from the door and silently bit my lip.

"I know you're there, brat. I'm not stupid, I can see your chakra. Is that you, Deidera?"

Shit. I forgot about my hair which was blowing around my face. I bunched it in my hands and willed it to stay down. It only happened either when using chakra or when I was stressed. He could sense the chakra that was flowing through it.