COSMIC CASTAWAYS part 10

Deidara was skeptical about making Kisame's request.  The VUM no doubt intended to strengthen their ties with the humans by returning the soldiers to their own kind, and having a general in the mix wasn't just icing on the cake, it was the whole cake itself.  Without being able to return Kisame, the Falks would get a lot less praise and support than they wanted and needed to receive.

Konan seemed to share this sentiment and outright refused, at first.  Kisame and Sasori had the extreme pleasure of watching two full grown Falks click and hiss at each other with animalistic ferocity inside what appeared to be a conference room of some sort, not but ten feet away from the negotiations.  The two aliens were displaying a far more primal side of the Falkian race than the two humans were used to seeing, and on more than one occasion Kisame had to forcibly drag Sasori back down into his seat because the Akasuna was certain that Konan was going to lunge across the table and claw his poor blond friend to pieces.

Deidara, for his part, refused to back down in the face of someone who not only had the capability to directly murder him about a dozen different ways, but could summon other members of the Verden Underground Movement at any time and do the job for her.  Sasori was reminded of hearing Deidara's stories about escaping his most recent master and injuring the others, and wondered for the first time if, instead of being a reckless child with absolutely no foresight whatsoever, Deidara was simply a cunning teenager with more courage than Sasori could ever hope to possess.

The screaming match went on for a good half hour before Konan finally hissed out something at the blond and Deidara nodded.  The female made a few clicks that sounded particularly bitter, even to Sasori's untrained ear, straightened her beret, and stormed out of the room.  Once she was gone, the blond practically collapsed into his chair and let out a long, tired sigh.  "I am majorly owed for this, un."

"It's, 'you owe me big', kid," Kisame corrected with no hint of reproach in his voice. If anything, the shark was barely able to keep the anxiety perforating every inch of his being from leaking out into his speech.  "Is it a deal?"

"Not quite. Konan still wants to do the trade with you, so we compromised, un."

"Meaning what?" Sasori pressed.

"You get to stay here, but the other humans have to as well."

"Not happening," Kisame immediately stated.  "This is my battle, not theirs.  I refuse to drag any soldiers into this."

"Then kiss Itachi farewell, un," Deidara nonchalantly replied.  "When the trade happens, it's going to be with you humans in a group set.  Either everyone stays, or everyone goes.  You wish to argue, talk to Konan yourself."

--

Later that day, Kisame gathered the other surviving humans together in his room, in order to speak about their current situation.  The bedroom used by the general was only slightly bigger than the other cabins on board; needless to say, the remaining eight soldiers and one Falk were crammed in like sardines.  Deidara and Sasori had chosen to sit in the back of the room, hidden behind the others in order to keep anti-Falk comments to a minimum.  No one would be able to look at Deidara without completely turning around in their seats, and as the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind.

Kisame was seated on the edge of his mattress, staring down at the nine soldiers seated on the ground before him.  It would have been comical, really, had not the subject of their discussion been so grave.  Kisame was quite certain that the fighters wouldn't take his news and request very well.  Understanding this, he attempted to paint the best picture he could; he began by explaining how valuable the intel group had been, prior to their disappearance, the traitor in the midst that had been successfully identified while the others remained innocent, the desire to linger on Verden in hopes of retrieving their fallen comrades, and finally the fact that they were indebted to the VUM, who could no doubt use the help provided by retrieving the missing allies.

Kisame's assumption was correct.  Opinions on the matter ranged from discontent coupled by acceptance (Tobi), to outright indignation and refusal (Hidan).  "There's no way in hell I'm gonna stick my neck out for some missing Falks!"

"Hidan, we owe those people," Kisame bluntly informed him.  It was hard to keep his temper in check with Hidan talking in such a manner about their former friends, particularly Itachi, but the shark knew that if his true motives were brought to light at this point, all would be a lost cause.  "They served us continually for years, even at the risk of imprisonment and retribution from their own people, and now that we have a chance to help them, you're simply going to turn your back on them?"

"How the hell do we even know that that's what really happened?!  It's that little Falk bitch's word against a report filed by a dozen soldiers!"  Deidara seemed to shrink at Hidan's comment, as though he'd like nothing more than to sink into the floor and vanish from the room.  Sasori kept his temper in check, albeit his hands curled themselves into fists without him realizing it.

"A report that clearly stated none of the Falks displayed any signs of treachery or disloyalty, with the exception of a few footnotes about Kabuto, the betrayer."

"That doesn't prove anything!  Jashin damnit, think about what you're saying!"

"I am, and I wish you would too.  All I'm suggesting is that we postpone our return home for a little longer, so that we may right a wrong that was committed by us.  If this were a human group of allies, you wouldn't be hesitating at all, Hidan.  We're supposed to be working for peace, and allowing anti-Falk sentiments to poison our every action is going to do nothing more than hinder progress."  That shut Hidan up.

Kisame chose to take a vote on what their final course of action would be, excluding himself, Sasori, and Deidara. Of the remaining seven, five (including Tobi) voted to stay, Hidan voted to go home, and the remaining soldier abstained.  "Then it's settled. We'll be heading back to Verden and make plans with the Verden Underground Movement to rescue our allies.  Once that's all said and done, we can get back home."

--

"You are sure zis is ze course of action zat you shall be taking?"  Konan inquired.  After the meeting, Kisame had gone to meet with the Falkian leader and explain to her the current plan of action for himself and the other humans.  At the moment, the duo was standing in a giant strategy room.  Various maps of Verden's continents were hanging on the walls, and a large 6 x 10 map of the entire planet covered the table housed in the center of the room.  A few Falkian strategists were running back and forth between the maps and two other resistance members who were sending and receiving transmissions on an old-fashioned radio communicator.  The maps were covered in notes that had been stuck over various cities, and some areas were completely crossed out.  The general felt something tighten in his chest as the short brunette that had greeted them earlier crossed the room and scribbled through a village, writing something above the mark in a language Kisame couldn't read.  The shark had the distinct feeling his army had recently bombed the daylights out of that poor settlement.

"Well, monsieur fishy?"

Kisame was beginning to dislike the woman's habit of bestowing nicknames on her human captives.  "Yes.  We need to rescue our comrades before going home.  To be honest, I don't think my conscious could even let me leave before I fix this mistake."

"Zat is all very well and good, monsieur, but it does not, 'ow you say, pay ze bills.  If we are to 'elp you, ze first zing we must do is locate zese intelligence officers. If zis cannot be done, ze rescue shall be a lost cause."

"Tell me what I can do to help."

"Short, sweet, and to ze point." Konan smirked at her companion.  "Alzough you claim to be 'uman, zere is somezing distinctly Falkian about you. First, we need ze names and descriptions of everyone associated with ze project.  Once zis is done, we shall send out messages to all branches of VUM and see if zey have any information.  We have several allies of ze movement working in the judicial branch, which may be of some 'elp to us.  After we 'ave gazered sufficient information, we shall move forward."

"Impressive," Kisame admitted.

"Merci."

--

"Danna?"

"Hm?"

Deidara was sitting at the foot of Sasori's bed, quietly flipping through the pages of his only book.  The Akasuna, meanwhile, was contently stretched out across his mattress, attempting to get some sleep before all hell broke loose.  He wasn't sure how long it would be before they discovered some news regarding Itachi or the others, but he was certain that once Kisame heard something, they were going to take off and attempt to retrieve their allies.  Best sleep now before they got to Verden.  The redhead had almost been asleep, when Deidara spoke.

The blond kept his attention on his book, reading silently to himself.  "I'm not going to betray you, you know."

Sasori blinked his eyes in surprise.  Where did that come from?  "I never said you were going to, Deidara."

"I know, un.  But just the same, I'm letting you know that I won't turn out like Kabuto," he informed the puppet master, speaking in a very matter-of-fact tone.  "You rescued me and took care of me, even when it was risky for you.  I won't forget that, ever.  Promise, un."

Sasori gave the words a few moments to sink in before answering.  "I'll do the same.  It's kinda my job as your danna, in a way."

At this, Deidara finally looked away from his book and grinned down at the drowsy redhead.  "Good.  Then we'll be loyal to each other forever, Sasori danna."