Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story.
---
A/N: I'm going to be tweaking the canon just a little bit, for the sake of the story. In here, the fight between Kakashi and Deidara never took place, and he still has both of his arms. Updates for this story may be slow and erratic, because as of yet I have no idea where it's going. I WILL finish it, though, but I may need your help. Any suggestions?
Anyway, thank you for reading, and, as always, review!
---
Deidara slumped against the wall of the cave, holding one hand against his crushed arm. Damn that Jinchuuriki of the sand . . . His left arm was now all but useless thanks to that brat. And Sasori . . . He had been killed.
At least his death hadn't been in vain. The others had managed to seal the One-Tail, though its host had been brought back to life.
Wincing, Deidara squeezed his arm gently, assessing the damage. The sleeve of his cloak had been ripped away, so he could clearly see what had been done. There were no visible injuries besides some scrapes and bruises, but he could feel the splintered bones beneath the skin.
He needed a healer. But where would he find one? None of the Akatsuki members knew how to heal, and the only hospitals were in the villages. He couldn't exactly walk right up to the front gates and demand to be treated. No, what he needed was a medical ninja, one that could be close at hand at all times.
His single visible azure eye narrowed in thought. In his mind, he saw a glimpse of long, dark violet hair and crimson eyes; eyes that he thought possessed the hated Sharingan at first, until he'd gotten a closer look. The girl that bore those eyes was a Sunagakure ninja, there was no way she was related to Itachi. He had noticed her during his fight with the Jinchuuriki. She was just what he needed: a medical ninja.
Pulling himself stiffly to his feet, he stepped out of the cave and reached into the pouch at his waist with his uninjured hand. He pulled out a bit of clay and began to mold it. Tossing the completed figure into the air, he formed the seal needed to expand it. Thankfully, the seal would work one-handed. The bird, now big enough to ride on, dropped to the ground and fluttered its wings once.
Deidara leapt up onto its back and settled himself. He was going to Amegakure, to talk to Pein.
---
Mika sighed as she stood up. She had been out collecting herbs all morning. The Kazekage had ordered all the medics to gather supplies, and she had been given the task of picking plants. Though it was boring, it was better than staying in the village, surrounded by the hysterical family members of the ninja that had been wounded or killed in Akatsuki's invasion.
It was hard to believe that only two ninja could cause so much damage. Not only had they slaughtered many elite ninja, they'd also managed to kidnap the Kazekage, and kill Elder Chiyo.
She had seen only one of them; the blonde young man who had taken Kazekage-sama. The night of the attack, she had been in the mansion, treating one of the assistants. He had looked right at her, and in his uncovered eye, she had seen undisguised hatred at first, then simple indifference.
Why had he looked at her like that? What had caused his sudden change in attitude? More importantly, why was she still thinking about him?
Shaking her head, she looked down at the handful of plants she carried. Even though she had been out all morning, there were no forests nearby, so plants were elusive, medicinal herbs even more so.
Tucking a stray lock of hair behind one ear, she gazed up at the sky as a shadow passed overhead. At first, she assumed it was just a falcon, until she saw how big it was. From this distance, it was the size of a large falcon, but it was up way too high for the size to be appropriate.
It was circling her, coming closer with each pass it made. Mika dropped the herbs and her mouth opened slightly as she realized what it was. The Akatsuki member that had taken the Kazekage. Why was he still here?
She looked around, searching for something, anything, that would help her. To her disgust, she realized that she had wandered away from any boulders that might help to protect her.
Swallowing hard, she watched as he came closer and closer. What was he going to do?
---
Deidara had been flying over the desert just east of Sunagakure when something caught his attention. Zooming in with the scope over his left eye, a wicked grin spread across his face. It was her. And she was alone. He leaned slightly to the side, and the bird began to descend in a lazy spiral.
When he was still about fifty feet above the ground, he reached into the bag at his waist once more and withdrew a piece of clay. Molding it into a small spider, he tossed it over the side of the bird, right near her.
He watched as she glanced curiously at it, but then disregarded it to gaze back up at him. With a slight smile, he formed the seal that would detonate the small bomb. It was small enough that it wouldn't injure her, but it would knock her unconscious.
Mika took a step back as she saw him make the seal. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, one hand reaching for the shuriken holster strapped to her leg.
"I wouldn't do that. You won't be quick enough. I can detonate this bomb with a single word. There's no way you'll be able to stop me, un," Deidara warned, still holding the seal.
"All I have to do is get out of range," Mika snapped. "Now answer me. What are you doing here?"
"Just passing through, un," he said silkily. "Surely you don't intend to fight me alone. You may be Jounin-level, but you're still no match for me."
Mika's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my rank?" She didn't wear the flak jacket like a lot of the others, choosing instead to wear casual clothes: an aqua-colored shirt with elbow-length sleeves. It was low-cut, so she wore a mesh shirt underneath, and black shorts.
"Your leader wouldn't let you out of the village alone unless you were capable of defending yourself. But even a Jounin can't protect themselves against Akatsuki, un."
"You sure are arrogant," she said, putting one hand on her hip, the other still hovering over the pouch on her leg.
This caused him to smirk. "I just know I can win, un."
She watched him carefully. He had an odd speech pattern, and a surprisingly deep voice, though he didn't look more than a year or two older than she was. "Are you going to attack me or not?"
Deidara lowered his hand, dropping the seal, and the bird dropped down a little lower. "I'm getting around to it. You won't be able to get out of range. I've already locked on to your chakra. That insect will follow you until it explodes, un."
"So why haven't you detonated it yet? Why haven't you killed me?"
His smirk grew a little wider. "I never intended to kill you. You're going to come back with me."
"Like hell!" Mika spat, unsnapping the clasp on the holster and grabbing a shuriken. Even as she curled her hand around it, she knew he was right: she wouldn't be fast enough.
Once more, Deidara's hand came up to form the seal. Things seemed to move in slow motion as Mika drew the shuriken out of the pouch and threw it at him. At the same time, she heard him say the word to detonate the bomb. There was a sharp pain in her arm as a flying rock cut it. Darkness overwhelmed her and she dropped to the ground, unconscious.
Deidara leaned to the side to avoid the shuriken she had thrown, then jumped off the bird as it settled to the ground. He made his way over to where Mika was and looked down at her. Her arm was bleeding slightly where the rock had cut her, but it was hardly more than a scratched. Other than that, she was unharmed.
Her bent down and gathered her under his good arm. Carrying her back to the bird, he jumped back up on it and settled her near him. He would take her back to the base, then go see Pein.
---
Some time later, the bird landed at the base of a cliff. Deidara got off and went to the wall of earth. Putting his hand on it, he muttered something and a doorway appeared, big enough for him to walk through.
He returned to the bird and retrieved Mika. Carrying her into the large anteroom, he proceeded towards a long corridor at the far right. There were nine other halls to the left of his, each one belonging to one of the other Akatsuki members.
Coming to the second door on the right, he shouldered it open and went inside.
The room was bare, save for a set of shackles on one wall. With some difficulty, he fastened the chains to her wrists, leaving her kneeling on the floor with her arms outstretched. She would wake up soon, and he wanted to be here when she did. He wasn't sure if anyone else was here at the moment, but he knew that she would wake up angry and loud. Because of that, he would need to be here, to quiet her.
The chains were designed to drain chakra, so Deidara wouldn't have to worry about her breaking out if she awoke while he was gone. The loss of chakra would also make it so he would have to wait a little longer to be healed; once she had calmed down and he could release her, but he could handle that. Besides, if he let her go while she was still at full strength, she would most definitely fight him, and with only one arm working, it would be difficult to control her.
He took the opportunity to get a better look at her. Her hair wasn't as long as he first thought, barely past her shoulders. Despite living in Sunagakure, her complexion was fairly pale; with only the slightest hint of a tan.
Standing up, Deidara went back to the door and out into the hall, locking the door behind him. It would take him just under an hour to get to Amegakure. When it was all said and done, he could be back in three hours. Closing his eyes for a moment, he felt for the presence of anyone else. He knew the first three halls would be empty, as well as the fifth, which used to belong to Orochimaru. But it seemed everyone was away.
Making his way back outside, he jumped up onto the bird's back. Once he was settled, it took off, heading for Amegakure, where Pein's base was.
---
To his surprise, it wasn't raining in Amegakure. The sun was shining through ragged silver clouds, making the village seem less gloomy. The bird took him to the center of the village, where a tower rose above the other buildings.
Deidara jumped off onto a balcony, then released the jutsu on the bird, making it shrink back down. Catching it, he put it in the pouch at his waist. He turned to see Pein sitting on the top step that led into the building.
"What is it you need? I wasn't expecting you to come. I already know about Sasori's death, and you should be resting," Pein said quietly, glancing at Deidara's injured arm.
"I want to talk to you about a new partner, un," Deidara said, sitting down on the opposite side of the steps.
Pein was silent for a moment. "Given time, I'm sure I'll be able to find a new-"
Deidara cut him off. "I've already found someone. She's from Sunagakure; a medical ninja. We can use her. No one else knows how to heal. My left arm is useless, and will be for a long time, unless I get treatment. Akatsuki needs a medic, and I need a partner, un."
"Where is she?"
"At the main base. I have her restrained right now, and she's unconscious. Once she calms down, I'll release her," Deidara answered.
"She's still part of her village, then." Pein narrowed his eyes slightly. "This could be problematic."
"Don't worry, she can't escape, and she was alone when I took her, un," Deidara told him.
"Will she cooperate, though? It'll be difficult to work with a partner who is constantly fighting you," Pein said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.
"Given time, I'm sure I can bring her around."
Pein arched one eyebrow. "Let's hope so. If she can't be brought around, she'll have to be killed. We can't allow her to go back to her village."
Deidara stood up, holding his injured arm gently. "I know that. Don't worry about it. She'll be an asset to us, once she cools down a little." He turned and walked back down onto the balcony. "I have to go now. She'll be awake soon, and I'll have to be there to calm her, un."
Pein watched as Deidara reached into the bag at his waist and pulled out the bird. Tossing it into the air, he formed the hand seal that would expand it, and leapt off the balcony, onto its back.
As he headed back to the base, he thought back to the conversation. Pein had given in without a fight. What did that mean? He had never asked Pein for anything before; indeed, though he had been in Akatsuki for several years, it was rare for him to come in contact with the mysterious leader.
Laying down on his back, he stretched out, putting his good arm behind his head. His visible eye closed, and he sighed. Now that he had Pein's approval, he would need to keep his word; taming the spitting viper that was to become his partner.
But how to go about convincing her? He would need to sever her ties to her village; turn her into a loyal member of Akatsuki, or else he would never be able to let her out of his sight. If he did, she would escape, and every member of Akatsuki would be in danger.
They wouldn't be able to bribe her with money. What Deidara needed was to find something that would keep her with him of his own free will, but what?
He thought about it all the way back to the base, but by the time the bird landed, he had come up with no ideas. Sliding off the bird, he shrank it back down and returned it to the pouch.
Once he was inside, he headed straight for his hall. Before going to the room where he was keeping Mika, he stopped by his own room and retrieved a new cloak. Shedding the torn one, he put the new one on and fastened it.
He turned and went back out into the hall, placing one hand on the door to the room where Mika was. Slowly, he unlocked it and let it swing open.
There she was, still kneeling on the floor where he had left her. But one thing had changed. She was awake, and she was extremely pissed off.
---
A/N: A little shorter than I wanted it, but I wanted to save their encounter for the next chapter. Which is when I'm going to need your help for what happens next. I have the second chapter planned out, but after that . . .