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Obito supports himself on the gunwale, clenching his jaw. The ship leans slightly to the left, although to his queasy stomach it feels like it moved much more that that.
"Why did we have to accept this mission?" He mumbles to himself and tries to hide the grimace on his face when a couple of sailors pass by his side.
The least thing he needs is to give them a reason to ask for a discount on the price of the mission, claiming that the Hokage sent a whiny Jonin to help them. So, Obito walks parallel to the gunwale towards the stern and stares at the wake of the ship, trying to look like a tough and brooding guy.
"And why does Kakashi have to be the leader?"
Obito tries not to pout, thinking that if they don't start leaving him in charge of a team, they'll never see how good he is at organizing. Down in the water, something is moving under the surface. Obito squints and catches a glimpse of long blond hair, then his jaw drops.
"Help! Help! There is a person down there!" He yells, turning his head. "They're going to drown!"
A couple of sailors laugh and Obito glares at them, unbuttoning his green vest.
"I'm not making it up, there really is someone there!" He shouts. The vest drops to the ground and Obito takes off his navy blue sweater. "What is wrong with you all!?"
Rin appears, running from the opposite side of the deck. Obito takes off his sandals.
"Obito, wait! What you've seen is not human!" She exclaims, just as his hands grab the rim of his trousers.
"Oh—!" Obito blushes to his ears. Around him, some sailors giggle and he wishes he could run out of there. "Not human?"
Rin shakes her head. "Come, let me show you."
Obito collects all his clothes and looks where his team mate is pointing at. Then he notices the black scales glistening in the sun and an almost transparent tail fin and realizes that he's just seen a merman.
"S-shit...! They're real!"
"Of course they are real, Obito. Don't be silly." His partner giggles and Obito feels slightly insulted.
"Well, I don't know much about the sea, that's true. You've probably seen it more than me in some of your solo missions," he retorts. "Besides, I don't know why I would want anything to do with creatures that eat people."
Obito shudders, getting goosebumps all over.
"Actually, most of them eat fish," Rin says. "Yes, there are some species that include humans in their diet but most of those humans have already drowned. The thing is, we always tend to exaggerate stories like that... And that's how myths are created."
The merman rises to the surface and stares at them, following the ship's wake. Obito puts his jumper back on.
"I didn't know you knew so much about them," he mutters and purses his lips, unable to stop feeling dumb.
Rin turns around and leans her elbows on the rail.
"A few years ago I became friends with a sea monster named Isobu. He told me many things,” she says matter-of-factly.
Obito swallows thickly. "Isn't it dangerous to approach strange creatures that can eat you in one bite?"
Rin frowns and Obito realizes he's said something he shouldn't have said.
"Isobu would never hurt anyone, stop judging him like that! When I told him I collected seashells, he left me a bunch of them by the beach. There were so many that I couldn't take them all."
Obito rubs his head, wondering if Rin really had a seasell collection. By the time they promoted him to Jonin, his feelings for Rin were completely gone, but this is the first time he's heard about it. Had he known, the Obito of those times would have given her seashells all the time.
"I didn't mean to offend you, it's just..."
"We are scared of the unknown," Rin says. "But I've always liked it."
The merman is still there, following the ship. Obito exchanges glances with him and notices that he is smiling.
"Why do you think he's following us?"
"Merpeople tend to be quite curious about everything that comes from land," Rin says, and then the ship rocks harder and Obito's stomach threatens to throw up what little it has inside.
"Ugh. Well, I don't like being here, I feel surrounded. It's like being in a jail,” he says, holding his belly. "Nothing but water, water and more water."
Rin reaches into her leather bag and pulls out a small scroll.
"If you feel sick, I can help." The scroll transforms into a first aid kit. Rin opens the zipper and takes out a few long, fine acupuncture needles. "Give me your wrists!"
Obito considers telling her that it's okay, that he might get better soon, if it weren't for the fact that he hates feeling dizzy and is almost willing to sell his soul to get rid of his discomfort.
"Is that really going to work?" He asks, ready to run away from his team mate at any moment.
"We are scared of the unknowin," Rin repeats. "Come on, future Hokage, you'll feel much better after this."
Obito takes a deep breath and bracing himself, he places his wrists in front of her.
Obito sits up on his futon, stretching, and yawning. Kakashi's futon is empty already. Rin's is too, there's an open book upside down on the duvet. When something knocks on the porthole, Obito turns around and sees a face glued to the glass.
"Hi stalker," Obito says as soon as he recognizes that blond hair.
The merman smiles at him and Obito stands up and walks over to the porthole, after all, he can't touch him. He gets as close as he can to get a good look, their faces a few inches apart. Obito realizes how beautiful he is and gapes, as if contemplating a wonder.
After a few seconds, he reminds himself that maybe merpeople are so beautiful to attract humans and then... Obito shakes his head. Rin wouldn't lie to him about something like that. He wants to talk to that merman and discover more about how merpeople live.
The merman sticks one hand to the glass and points upward with the other.
"Do you want me to come up?"
Obito looks at his hand and notices he has some sort of mouth there, grinning at him. Other than that, it looks just like a normal hand, save for the black nails.
The merman points up again and Obito wonders if it is a good idea to listen to him. Maybe his kind are immune to the Sharingan, then he won't have much left to defend himself. Not in the middle of the sea and with his fire release.
"We are scared of the unknown," Obito whispers, just to convince himself.
Ever since he set foot on that ship, he hasn't been able to stop thinking about how whiny he was being, almost like he used to be when he was thirteen. Obito came to the conclusion that the sea is not for him, but perhaps he's just making excuses. He leaves the cabin and goes up the stairs to the deck. When he checks the water, he finds his new friend swimming up and down. Obito takes a deep breath, concentrates chakra in his feet, and climbs onto the gunwale.
"What are you doing!?" A sailor yells at him.
"I'll be right back!" Obito exclaims and whispers in a low voice. "If everything goes fine."
Obito starts descending, walking slowly along the side of the boat. When he reaches the water, he increases the level of chakra in his feet and steps on the water. It's like trying to stand on a trampoline full of genins. A trampoline covered in something slippery. A faint high-pitched scream comes out of Obito's mouth and he cringes. Then he decides to stop being a chicken and stands on the water. Once he gets used to it, swinging his arms with the waves, he takes a few steps. The merman breaks the surface of the water, splashing him a bit.
"Hello!" Obito waves his hand and tries not to stutter.
The merman just stares at him with a smile. Obito notices a pearl bracelet on his right arm.
"Can you understand me?" He asks and squats down, pointing at himself. "My name is Obito. Do you have a name?"
In response, he gets a curious look.
"Can you understand human language?"
Several seconds pass by. Obito starts to get nervous thinking of another way to communicate with him, perhaps by signs. Then the merman bursts out laughing.
"Yes! I do understand human language, hm! Why does everyone fall for that?"
Obito purses his lips.
"You were making fun of me!" He exclaims and stands up, considering going back to the ship.
"Just a little, but don't mind me, sometimes it's boring to be here," the merman says. "And I do have a name, my name is Deidara."
"I hate feeling dumb," Obito says.
Deidara stops laughing and looks at him.
"Okay, I won't do it anymore," he says, brushing his mysteriously dry hair from his face. "What is a Konoha ninja doing here?"
Obito raises an eyebrow.
"Do you know Konoha?" He asks. "How? Did someone tell you about it?"
"That's because I'm not a merman, hm," Deidara replies. "I am human, just like you."
"A human? But you have mouths in your hands!" Obito almost loses his balance on a wave. "You better not be making fun of me again!"
"Nah." Deidara makes the rat seal and then jumps up and sits on the water. "See, I concentrated chakra in my tail?"
Obito gets a better look at the shiny black scales, the more he learns about him, the more questions he wants to ask. "Who taught you to control your chakra?"
"My sensei. You've probably heard of Onoki, the third Tsuchikage," Obito is speechless. Deidara laughs. "Yes, I was also a shinobi once, then I fell under this curse and ended up like this."
"So a shinobi from Iwa," Obito mutters, watching the ship sail away. When he starts walking through the waves, Deidara follows him. "Hope you don't mind me coming from Konoha. Most Hidden Rock ninjas I have met hate us."
"Nah," Deidara dives. When he comes out again, a few feet ahead, his hair is still dry. "I'm not interested in that shit."
"Good," Obito says, "because neither am I. So... your hands..."
Deidara lifts them out of the water and holds them close to him, both tongues wiggling.
"You like them?" He asks. "It took me a long time to get the scroll that contained the jutsu."
Obito gets closer to see them better and one of them licks him on the lips. With a shriek, Obito loses his concentration and falls into the freezing water, he starts struggling trying to rise to the surface but Deidara shoves his arms under his armpits and pulls him up.
"Careful," Deidara laughs and Obito coughs. "I hope you're not one of those people who think I'm going to eat you."
"N-no!" Obito keeps coughing. "Of course not!" He exclaims, pretending not to look as if a cursed hand had just given him his first kiss. "My team mate says that's just a myth."
"Well, half and half. I've been here for a few years now, I've seen things. But it's not something you should worry about, hm."
Deidara follows the ship, Obito can't believe how fast he's swimming.
"Anyone would say the third Tsuchikage would have rescued you by now," Obito says. "What is he thinking?"
Up on the boat, Kakashi and Rin are yelling something.
"Obito! Are you okay?" she shouts.
"Obito! We aren't here for that!" Kakashi says.
Obito shows them a thumbs up.
"I doubt the old man knows where I am, hm." Deidara makes a face. "Iwa doesn't operate in the eastern ocean, so my only chance was to swim to Kirigakure and try to get the message across but... I doubt they will welcome me."
Arriving next to the boat, Obito sticks to it with his hands and feet. He looks at Deidara and can't help but feel sorry for him.
"You must miss your old life."
"Not really, I just hope I don't die of old age here," Deidara shrugs. "The first thing I'll do when I get rid of the curse is eat bakudan until I burst."
Obito feels a terrible desire to help him. "Are you going to stay around here?"
"Only if you come to see me again, hm," Deidara says.
"Of course!" Obito nods. "I have to work now, but I'll be back."
Deidara nods and after waving his arm, he dives into the water.
"I'm sorry I didn't come earlier, we went through pirate territory and I stayed there all day keeping an eye." Obito offers Deidara three rice balls wrapped in nori seaweed.
Deidara watches them as if he had never seen food in his life.
"I think I love you," he says and stretches out his arms. Obito puts them in his hands. He smiles watching Deidara bite one in half and start chewing. "Mh... I had almost forgotten what rice tastes like. And beef."
"I asked the cook to let me help. I was going to fill them with tuna, but I thought you would be sick of it by now." Before he knew it, all three rice balls were gone. "Shit... I've never seen anyone eat so fast."
Deidara licks his fingers.
"It's been a long time since I was in such a good mood, hm. I'd like to show you something in return."
Obito looks at the golden glow of sunset.
"What is it?"
"A secret place of mine, not far from here, hm." Deidara takes him by the hand. "If you hold on to my back, we'll be there soon."
"Should I tell my team mates first? I don't want to worry them."
Deidara shakes his head.
"Nah. We can trick them. If they don't see you, they'll think I took you away to eat you."
"I doubt you're tricking Rin with that," Obito says. "But Kakashi on the other hand..."
Obito braces himself to fall into the icy water and grabs onto Deidara's shoulders.
"Hold on tight, hm."
Flicking his tail up and down, Deidara swims away from the ship. Obito understands then why he told him to hold on tight. The ship gets smaller and smaller until they lose sight of it. Surrounded by water on all four sides, Obito worries a bit and prefers not to think about the vastness below him and what will be hidden in it. He could fight on land with any creature that comes up to fight, but that's not his element. As long as he's there, he's completely dependent on Deidara.
"If a monster comes from the depths, will you defend me?" Obito asks.
"I don't think they will attack us. I earned their respect a long time ago,” Deidara replies.
Obito bites his lip and hopes he's not being overly curious.
"Who cursed you?" he asks. It doesn't happen often that Obito wants revenge on someone, but whoever it was, he would make them pay.
"I'll tell you about it, but don't make fun of me, hm," Deidara says. "I was hired to steal a scroll in Kirigakure. When I finally got it, curiosity got the better of me and I opened it, then the curse was activated. I imagine everyone back in Iwa thinks I'm dead."
If it weren't for all the years Deidara has been at sea, Obito might find it funny.
"I wonder if there is any way to reverse the curse," he mumbles.
"I don't know," Deidara replies. "As you can see, I haven't been able to investigate."
Obito doesn't say anything else. His arms are freezing when, with the last lights of twilight, an island appears on the horizon. His mood improves a bit when he sees land in sight and he lets out a howl that makes Deidara focus chakra in his tail and go faster.
"But that's a cliff," Obito says when they are close. "How are you going to get up there?"
"You'll see." Deidara circles the island. "Obito activates the Sharingan to see the cove hidden in a narrow inlet. "Whenever I come to this area, I stop here for a while."
"It's a shame it's almost night."
Obito jumps ashore and lights a chakra bonfire.
"I like it better at night, hm," Deidara replies. "These places are the only land I have seen in a long time. I slept many nights right here, watching the stars."
"Did you bring me here to see the stars with you?" Obito smiles and leaves his wet clothes around the fire. Then he brings his hands to the fire, rubbing them vigorously.
"Sailors tend to be superstitious as fuck. Nobody stops when they see merfolk, so I have to make it count when someone does,” Deidara says, sitting on the wet sand. "Let me be selfish and have you to myself for a while."
Obito crosses glances with him and feels his face heat up. His eyes remain glued to Deidara's sassy smirk.
"I also want to spend more time with you, I have many questions to ask you."
"Is it okay if I go to get us dinner? Then we can talk."
When Obito nods, Deidara throws himself on the waves and disappears into the darkness.
Once his stomach is full, Obito lies down next to Deidara and gazes up at the star-filled sky. The murmur of the waves doesn't sound grating anymore, he could even fall asleep right there.
"The only thing that worries me is being here while I am on a mission," he says, thinking how angry Kakashi is going to be. Obito shudders. "But even if I have to work for free this time... I liked doing this."
"They'll be fine," Deidara says. "Orcas and whales are usually up to date on every boat that crosses the ocean. You can hear them from miles away, hm. As you can see, there is little else to worry about."
Obito takes a deep breath, even knowing that's not the point. For a moment, he is happy just to be there looking at the millions of shiny dots that seem to form trails in the sky.
"You said earlier that you have plans for when you get rid of the curse." Obito turns his head. "I would like to know if I can do something about it."
"I'm not turning down that offer." Deidara rolls in the sand, staying next to him, the scales on his tail rough against his bare legs. "And if you want to be the one to do it, I can reward you.” Obito has heard of merfolk seducing humans with just their voice and wonders if, being a cursed human, Deidara has that effect too. All he wants to do is stay with him on that island and never leave. Build a hut and cook bakudan every day and at sunset, sit on the beach and talk to each other until they fall asleep. Obito doesn't understand where those ideas come from, but he's comfortable with them. "Down there, Obito, in places where the sun doesn't shine..."
Obito gulps. "W-where the sun doesn't shine?"
"There are things you would never imagine. Sunken ships filled with gold and gemstones."
"You are a gemstone." Obito covers his mouth with both hands, his body heating up until he thinks he needs a cold shower.
Deidara doesn't seem to be shocked by the comment.
"I was only suggesting. If you'd rather want something else, we can discuss it, hm."
Obito imagines Deidara thanking him in a sexy way and thinks that it must be Deidara's voice seducing him, even though he doesn't seem to be aware of it.
"I still don't know if I'll be able to reverse the curse." Obito forces himself to be realistic. "But I'll do my best!"
Deidara smiles and when he caresses his chest with his finger, Obito shivers.
"If my human rescuer wasn't as sexy as you, I would have said no." His hand runs down Obito's abdomen and Deidara leans over him until he's inches away from his face.
"G-god." Obito has no doubt that he must be blushing from head to toe.
"You look like you'd make a comfortable pillow." When Deidara rests his head on his chest, Obito wraps him in a hug feeling the rough scales of his tail on his legs.
"I'll save you," Obito whispers against his hair.
Deidara moves a little to look at him and smiles. Obito's breath stops.
"Thank you, sexy, hm."