Heat Stroke

Chapter 1: If The Heat Gets Ya…

By ilovemyboys

Authors Note: I use some italics to capture either Deidara's far off voice cuz he's in such bad shape or Deidara kind of hearing Sasori cuz he's so out of it. "Huh" captures just a way Deidara talks in the english dub. Then of course italics also indicate Deidara's thoughts.

Oh man...I feel horrible…This is really starting to get on my nerves...

Sasori and I had been walking through this grueling desert all morning on our way back to the Akatsuki hideout after retrieving some scrolls from some Shinobi village that has some information on us. Leader Pein didn't want any interferences with his plans.

Huh. Some plans. I honestly don't know how much more of this I can take...I'm not from some sand village like Sasori. Huh. That guy...even though he's wearing that bulking puppet of his I swear he's got some sort of cooling mechanism in there. I mean I know he doesn't feel like a human does, but come on! Can't he at least get hot? Or sweat? Especially with all those layers? Just my luck I have a partner that doesn't feel heat so he won't take any necessary brakes. Or even stop for some water. Huh.

I slowly drag my feet through this scorching sun, sweat running down my entire body. My gosh! We've been out here for six freaking hours without a break and it's almost noon. The sun will be right over us in minutes.

I look up from my unfocused gaze at the ground to see Sasori slightly ahead of me. Taking a quick glance at his face I notice he of course isn't sweating. Not even a drop. Damn puppet. This is the guy that has the nerve to tell me to "keep up brat" or "stop holding me back!" Sometimes I just want to make him wait a realllly long time-

"Deidara!"

Speak of the devil.

"The sun's coming over us. We need to move faster!" He yells back to me.

"Damn it Sasori I know!" I call back.

"Watch your tongue brat," he warns.

"Or what? You gonna poison me? Don't think Leader Pein would care too much for that?" I countered. Huh. He threatens all the time but he wouldn't dare...I wasn't worth it to him.

"He may want you alive, but I can make you wish you weren't," his tone held malice as his glaring eyes faced me.

Whatever. I'm not afraid of some puppet collecting freak who thinks he's-ohhh...damn it...*cringe* I do not feel good...

My face suddenly began to feel fuzzy. Like little pins and needles are poking at it from every direction...My stomach feels nauseous...like I'm gonna throw up...My head...ohhhh...my head feels so light...so...no! I can't give in. Not now. Sasori already thinks I'm some brat he has to drag along. I'm not gonna have him get the satisfaction of having that physically come true. Gotta stay awake. I cringed again. He'll complain to no end about how I kept the Akatsuki waiting by passing out. No...Never...I won't give him that satisfaction...Then again...making him wait wouldn't be so bad...I felt a small smirk come over my face. Still. I'm not gonna show that weakness. I'm an S-ranked missing nin and member of the most powerful criminal organization in the Shinobi world!

I gasped. With a body that's about to give out on me any minute! Urrr…Come on, stay together!

I give myself a quick slap to the cheek, which at least puts me in the game a little longer.

"Ohhh..." I groan, placing a sweaty palm on my forehead, which of course doesn't do a whole lot because my tongues are in the way. So of course, I feel no relief whatsoever.

"Come on, just a little longer..." I breathe out, a bit uneasily, I might add.

I notice the sand around me begin to blur in...and out...

Oh hey, there's Sasori. Haha. He's a lot farther than me now. How did that happen? Oh well...^_^

"Deidara! Keep up!"

Dei...da...ra...haha...That's funny.

I continue to follow Sasori. Everything's still blurring together in a crazy daze...

"Deidara! If you keep falling behind I'll leave without you!"

Oh no. Don't want that, hehe. That's a bad idea...

I try to compose myself as I drag along behind Sasori...Everything is swirling around me now as I feel myself struggle to stay upright.

"Deidara! What are you doing!" I can kind of hear him shouting at me.

I honestly don't know what I'm doing...Huh? Looks like Sasori's coming to get me...

I let my heavy head hang down and my eyelids droop as they so desperately want to. Then all of a sudden I feel something solid grab my neck and pull me forward. Opening my eyes I see a blurry image of Sasori with his tail around my neck.

"What do you think you're doing?" He growls. Those freaky eyes of his shooting daggers into mine.

Come on Sasori. It's not a big deal...

"Standing," I reply calmly.

If what I was doing before didn't piss him off, this sure did. As I felt the hold around my neck get tighter, my lightheadedness was getting worse by the second.

"Do you have a death wish brat?"

"No."

"Then quit being a thorn in my side or I'll-Hey!" (SLAP!) "Pay attention!"

My cheek stings from that metal tail's hit. But I honestly didn't feel it as much as I'm supposed to...

"Deidara!"

Huh? Oh right, Sasori wants something.

I lift my heavy head back up to look at him with droopy eyes as he stares at me suspiciously.

"Deidara, what's wrong?" He growls curiously.

"Huh?" I ask. Man, I feel really out of it.

"What-is-wrong with you?"

"Oh...that...I don't feel so well..." My voice drifts off.

"Yes, I can see that. What happened?" He sounds irritated.

"Oh geez Sasori, give me a break...I just wanna sleep..."

I actually manage to close my eyes for a second before he jerks me back to reality with that tail of his.

"Whaaaat?" I ask, hearing myself whine. Great.

"Deidara," he says seriously.

I honestly don't have the energy to lift my head up again...I think he's asking me something but I'm not so sure...Maybe I'll just rest a bit more...

...

I feel something touch my lips. Then cool, wonderful water rushing down my throat.

Ahhhhh...wonderful...

As I drink my fill I notice my head is lying on something too. But I don't have the energy to try and figure it out. Which suites me just fine...

"Deidara. Open your eyes."

Huh? Sasori?

Slowly opening my eyes I notice Sasori's face hovering over me. One of his hands is holding the canister of water while the other is holding my head up with that good ol' friendly scowl on his face.

"We'll stop for a second. You need to rest," he said matter-of-fact.

"Really?" I asked with a bit of a rasp. Huh. I probably sound pathetic.

"Yes brat. Don't you know how to take care of yourself?" He growled.

"I do...But you were being so stingy on water and breaks..." I mumbled, not able to finish the sentence.

Sasori muttered something to himself I didn't hear.

With that last thought, I begin to feel an invisible force pull at me. Beckoning me forward into the dark...And I easily oblige. Not even the slaps I sort of feel from Sasori can get me to stay here, as I slowly drift off into blissful unconsciousness...