Nine Shades of Grey

by Accio Uchiha

Nine Akatsuki. One kunoichi with ridiculously pink hair. Not everything is just black and white, or so Sakura surmised. Seriously M-rated.

1. Oral Fixation

So initially I became a rabid fan of itasaku, but then as time passed I found love in deisaku, and then another part of me fell hard for hidasaku…..and then it hit me that Sakura has just too much fun will all of akatsuki, so and it's such a fun ship that I can satisfy all of our guilty pleasures for…so, here I am. :)

None of this truly follows any kind of canon (seeing as everyone in Akatsuki isn't dead) so don't bother with pointing things out. It is what it is.

Disclaimer: Naruto and its respective characters do not belong to me. This plotline, however, does.

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Chapter 1: Oral Fixation

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Deidara

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She was about to bathe in the river when she saw him.

The clothes coiled tightly under her arm trembled slightly at the sight, and Sakura fought down the instinct to turn tail and run away from the S-class criminal floating unceremoniously in the water. She gritted her teeth and took a step back, mindful of the twigs and making sure she was absolutely silent. It was too late to mask her chakra, but then again she had been in this range for quite some time and it was doubtful that in his current disposition, the Akatsuki member would even notice how close her chakra signature was to him.

The river was flowing gently downstream, the sound of water rippling over rocks filling the air. Several were protruding out prominently, large and flat enough to stand on. That was where she saw him lying still and hunched over a rock, the rest of his limbs still in the water and the black Akatsuki cloak swaying against the slow current.

The first thought that crossed her mind was that it was a trap. There was no way that an Akatsuki member would just happen to be where Sakura was, thrown practically on a silver platter for her. She bore her surroundings, her senses desperately stretching for other shinobi hiding in the forestry. Her chakra extended, but came back with nothing. Skeptically, Sakura returned to gaze at the man in the river.

Briefly Sakura wondered why she hadn't detected his chakra before, but it did not take too long for her to assess him from where she stood. For any untrained nin it was undetectable, but Sakura's body was hardwired for detecting and manipulating chakra with utmost precision. It was deathly faint, but she could pick up on the lightest emission of chakra coming from him. It wasn't a steady, silent thrum as it would be if he were masking it. No, it was flickering lightly, like a flame inside a glass cup fighting to stay alive.

Bath forgotten, Sakura brought her fingers into a hand seal and made a bunshin to keep watch over the shinobi, then quickly made her way back to her campsite. Upon reaching it, she threw the clothes in her hand into her tent and pulled on her shinobi gear quickly. Picking up her pack, Sakura rechecked to see if her mission scroll was still inside and saw it resting in the same position it had been for the past week. Satisfied, Sakura turned and began her scan.

Initially this was supposed to be a low-level reconnaissance mission. It wasn't the first time Tsunade assigned her one, and most definitely not her first solo mission either. Over the years Sakura's abilities gained her a highly respectable disposition, one that Sakura worked extremely hard for. Hands were her greatest tool, having the power to fully heal and massively destroy, depending on how she manipulated her chakra.

Not that either of those were needed on this mission. She was in the outskirts of Kumogakure, and exactly one week ago the Raikage had sent a message to the Godaime Hokage with a possible lead of Akatsuki movement, something most crucial since two ANBU and three jounin of Konoha had disappeared in the past six weeks near Kumo. Sakura had been initially excited for the recon mission, elated that her shishou thought her qualified for tracking Akatsuki, but she was informed pitilessly that while the Raikage had sent for a shinobi, it was not exactly for assistance. Akatsuki was a common goal, and bringing it up would strengthen the alliance between Konohakagure and Kumogakure. And that was where Sakura came in.

While her strict orders were to capture any Akatsuki should she come across them, Tsunade had made it painfully clear that the chance of her even seeing a common thief was slim to none, and that she was mostly on a diplomatic trip standing in as Tsunade's confidante and double for a meeting that was to take place in Kumo. She would be in the Raikage's office, along with many other adversaries from other villages, and discuss politics and appearances and the toils that were ripping apart the civilian and shinobi world.

An important mission, Sakura had thought vaguely, but not one with any action.

Sakura leapt stealthily from tree to tree, scanning the area. She still detected nothing, and after a good thirty minutes she reluctantly accepted that the Akatsuki in the river was indeed alone and perilously injured. Her thoughts returned once more to Tsunade, who would probably look at her with shock and faint amusement at the fortune that fell into Sakura's lap upon finding him.

A few minutes later, Sakura returned to the riverside and dispelled her kage bunshin. He was exactly as she left him, water currents passing over his legs and arms as his torso was pushed onto a rock in a last struggle for survival. Quietly Sakura stepped out from the trees and onto the edge of the river. A few smaller rocks led to his body, and Sakura deftly stepped on them lightly before she was standing above him. Blonde locks of hair were floating in the water, hiding his face completely. Applying more chakra to her feet should she slip on the wet rocks, Sakura knelt down beside his head. Slowly, she extended her hand and moved some of the hair from his face.

She studied him carefully, noting how his back was barely moving from breathing. She reached forward to his neck and carefully pressed two fingers to his carotid artery. The pulse was faint and slow, just barely pushing up to meet the pressing of her fingers.

Sakura glanced around them, suddenly feeling uncertain. Was she really going to do this? The ramifications of a hypothetical failure would be extensive. Tsunade would say nothing, of course, for this wasn't actually her mission, but as a kunoichi Sakura would be disappointed in herself and she was sure that no ninja of Konoha would let her live this one down should she fail.

Her resolve strengthened, Sakura focused chakra to where her fingers were on his neck, and let a small, precise amount run down her fingers and shoot into his system to assess the extent of his injuries. What she came back with made Sakura's eyes widen.

Taking a shaky breath, Sakura's mouth formed a grim line as she stood up just a little, grabbing onto his shoulders. He was lifted easily, with a little help of her inhuman strength, and she carefully placed him on her shoulder.

Sakura returned to her tent and carefully laid him on her bedroll. He was unresponsive in the duration of her journey back to her campsite, something she expected anyway. He lost a lot of blood, and sustained far too many injuries for her to count. It was a feat in itself that he had survived as long as hid did, his body simply refusing to give up. Sakura slid off her pack and unzipped it, taking out her medical supplies and laying them meticulously next to her. Pulling a kunai from her hip pouch, Sakura let her eyes wander down the man's body for a moment. Taking a breath, Sakura moved to kneel by his right arm and gripped the top of his cloak. She carefully slid it open and wriggled it out of his arms and folded it, placing it atop her pack. He wore a black mesh shirt underneath, and Sakura was mildly amused that it was (apart from the blood stains) almost completely unharmed. There was a tear near the abdomen where the majority blood was seeping out of, but other than that it was spotless.

With the tip of a sharpened kunai, Sakura made a quick tear down the shirt and pushed it the sides of it away, tugging it off. She moved down his legs and tugged down his shinobi pants, unwrapping the strips of cloth coiled around his shin. She took off his shoes and socks until he was mostly naked, save for the pair of boxers around his hips.

The more she uncovered his body, the more and more Sakura began to wince. The wounds were extensive, hematomas covering his back and his foot twisting at an odd angle that showed a transverse break. Clicking her tongue Sakura murmured, "What trouble did you get in to get these kinds of wounds?" Her eyes traveled back up to his face, and it made her frown. He was so young. Ridiculously young to be an S-class criminal and a member of Akatsuki, probably just a few years older than herself. She wondered what path brought him to become the man he was today.

Her eyes tightened when she remembered the first time they saw each other. He had been sitting on Gaara's body, rambling on and on with Sasori about art and until they got into a heated argument. She remembered despising him that instant, having the nerve to sit on a dead body like it was a cushion. The memory made her fingers twitch, and anger replaced the empathy she'd been feeling for him moments ago.

He was useless to Konoha dead, and with this opportunity it would be best to bring him back to a more normal state of living. As much as she wanted to kill him, she knew it would be a stupid move on her part.

Focusing her chakra, Sakura's hands began glowing green and she brought them to his worst injury: his abdomen. The wound extended deep into his body, and didn't seem to be clotting very well for she could still see shining flecks of blood seeping through.

It took a god hour just to heal his torso, and then she moved up to his head. There was trauma on the right side of his head, and Sakura carefully put her hand onto through his mass of blond hair, increasing the amount of chakra flowing through her hand. Slowly but surely the injury was healing, the mild swelling reducing significantly.

It was then that his eyes slid open.

Sakura stilled, the flow of chakra in her hand ceasing immediately. His head was on her lap for convenience, and her hand was still tangled in his long wet hair. His eyes were strikingly blue, staring up at her with an intensity she had difficulty keeping eye contact with. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until his lips began to move.

"Let…m…." His voice trailed, eyes flickering and losing focus. Sakura furrowed her brow and moved closer to him.

"What?" she whispered quietly.

He looked up at her green eyes again, still seeming a bit unfocused. "Let…me die…" his voice rasped out hoarsely. Sakura's eyes widened in shock. That was the last thing she expected to come out of his mouth.

Curiously, she asked, "Why?"

His eyes slid closed and he turned his head weakly away, drained from the small interaction. His breathing was rapid so she knew he hadn't slipped into unconsciousness yet. On impulse she leaned to hover her lips over his ear and whispered, "I'm not letting you go that easily, Deidara."

His brow furrowed and he exhaled deeply, and then suddenly his breathing returned back to a steady rhythm. He wouldn't remember the exchange, that much was certain. She had reasons to keep him alive. No amount of pleading would grant him such a generous reprieve like death.

Sighing, Sakura looked at him with determination and let chakra flow to her hands again.

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"That really is an ugly shirt, yeah."

Sakura gritted her teeth and forced herself not to rise to his bait. She was scrubbing the cloth furiously, kneeling beside the river. Deidara was leaning against a tree, seated two feet away from her.

"It's ruined, yeah. Let it go."

"It wouldn't be ruined if somebody didn't throw up on it this morning," Sakura muttered through her teeth, checked anger swelling inside her.

"I can't help what my stomach decides to do when looking at an ugly shirt."

He was amused, watching her with lazy interest as she futilely attempted to scrub her shirt clean. It was green and conventional and standard issue and overall horrible on her. It was just a happy coincidence that Sakura was wearing it near him when his stomach was acting up.

Sakura ignored him and continued her task. The shirt was already a bit dirty and tattered before the Deidara's vomit fest, but it had been a gift from her father and her conscious wouldn't allow her to give up on it unless there was absolutely no hope for it left.

Suddenly Sakura's wrist burned slightly, the band around it heating up before disappearing, leaving the band cool to the touch. Sakura flickered a knowing glance at Deidara and said dryly, "You should know better than trying to use your chakra. I know when you do."

Deidara didn't even glance at the identical band around his wrist that was binding his chakra use. "I wasn't thinking about escaping," he said simply. He continued to watch her and Sakura grew uncomfortable under his intense stare, and finally she had to look away.

She hated when he did that. Ever since he regained consciousness, he was the most cooperative and happy captive she ever encountered, and it unnerved the hell out of her. She only had to use her superhuman strength once against him, and that had been when she'd been trying to feed him some mushroom soup she made herself. He kept trying to run away and avoid the meal, and she had to forcefully pin him down and spoon feed the bastard. If he weren't a notorious killer and S-class criminal, Sakura was certain he would have let out a few self-pitying whimpers.

But that wasn't what bothered her. It was the way he looked at her all the time with intense interest, watching her every move, eyes roving up and down her. It wasn't even a lustful gaze—she would've punched the thought right out of him—it was…contemplative. Her every movement, every word, had his undivided attention. He spoke to her with a lilting, teasing voice, a deep rumble and the verbal tic thrown in at the ends of his sentences. It was getting harder and harder for her to remember that he was a murderer and a criminal, as she spent more and more time traveling with him. It was also getting difficult to ignore just how bloody handsome the man was. She knew what he looked like when she healed him, but having him breathing and speaking and watching her made a world's difference. Before, he had been just a few breaths away from a corpse. Now...now he was…

"Lost in thought again, princess?" Deidara drawled, snapping Sakura out of her thoughts. Sakura looked up at him and scowled.

"We're leaving at noon," she said, looking down at the wet green shirt. Angrily she bunched it into a ball and tossed it into the river. The current immediately picked it up and dragged it along downstream. Deidara was looking at her curiously again when she glanced at him.

"It was a lost cause," she said simply. Deidara's blue eyes remained blank, and he shrugged.

There it was again. That feeling that crept over her whenever he would look at her. It took a lot of willpower for her to not let it show how much he affected her, and it bothered her even more to admit that he had even the slightest bit of affect on her. In the two weeks they were together since she'd healed him, he didn't act like a brutal, bloodthirsty man; he was quiet, observant, and managed to make her laugh a fair few times. He didn't bat an eye when he discovered she had bound his chakra temporarily, or that she planned to take him captive to Konoha. He watched her, and a small, miniscule part of her…liked it.

Sakura stood up, brushing the dirt from her pants. Deidara got to his feet, using the tree trunk as support. He swayed weakly, and Sakura sighed and walked over to him, taking his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders. Slowly they began walking back to camp.

"Are you going to tell me what gave you those injuries?" Sakura asked casually. Deidara smirked.

"Are you going to tell me what mission you're on that led you Kumo?" he said easily, and Sakura shook her head.

"You're impossible," she muttered.

"And you love me for it," Deidara grinned. Sakura frowned and looked up at him. He glanced down at her and the smile faded at her expression. She looked away, wanting to tell him to stop throwing words like that around and that he was forgetting his place; he was a prisoner. He should not be so casual.

Or are you forgetting your place? The back of her mind whispered. He's Akatsuki, and you flirt with him. Don't deny it.

Sakura cringed at the thought and turned away from him, shifting his arm around her shoulders so that it rest more comfortably. Deidara sighed next to her.

"Why do you do that, yeah?" Deidara asked quietly.

"Do what?" Sakura asked, looking blankly ahead.

"Get all flustered around me. Stop it, yeah. I'm the one who's in your hostage."

Sakura felt a flare of anger at his words. "Well it sure doesn't feel like it," she snapped. She shoved his arm off of her and whirled so that she stood in front of him. "I healed you," she hissed.

"Yes," he said slowly, furrowing his brow.

"I can easily kill you, too."

A slow, lazy smile spread across his handsome face. "Yes."

Sakura was momentarily lost in the intensity of his cerulean eyes when she blinked and shook her head. "Stop that!"

"Stop what?" Deidara frowned.

"Stop—stop looking at me," she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him. A breathless laugh left his lips.

"Well shit, I didn't know I couldn't look at you. Where would you like me to look? At the trees?"

"Yes," she said defiantly.

"Well fine then. I'll look anywhere but at you." He slid his eyes away from her and up at the tree tops surround them. Sakura's mind was pumping with anger, but it was starting to fade the longer that she looked at him. He was distracting. His face, young and hard and angular, almost beautiful with his sharp jaw full mouth. Hooded eyes that shone oceanic blue, long, cascading blonde hair that swayed slightly against the breeze.

She didn't notice he was looking at her again until her eyes traveled slowly up to his own. An indescribable emotion was flickering in them, his face unusually serious. Sakura found herself moving towards him, stopping when they were less than a foot away from each other.

Sakura tilted her head. "Why did you ask me to let you die?"

He blinked, surprise showing on his face. "What?"

Sakura lowered her eyes a little, wondering why she was even bothering to ask him this. The question had come out inadvertently, and she had surprised herself that her thoughts had been so carelessly vocalized. But they had been said, and he was close enough to her to reach out and touch her hair if he wanted to, or reach over to snap her neck.

She looked up at him and was startled to see that he had closed a fair amount of distance between them. Instinct told her to be afraid, that he was dangerous and was probably going to use this opportunity to kill her and escape. But she found herself not thinking any of those things, and instead finding herself entranced by the deep, azure irises reflecting back at her emerald ones.

"I thought I lost my art," he said quietly. It took Sakura a moment to remember what they were talking about.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

He lifted his hands, and Sakura's instincts finally kicked in and she flinched. He looked at her with an almost irritated expression.

"I'm not going to hurt you, yeah."

His palms facing up between them, and Sakura lowered her gaze to his hands. They were plain and smooth, and she was about to ask what he was trying to tell her when it hit her.

The mouths on his hands were gone.

"What happened?" she breathed, forgetting propriety and grasping his hands with her own, bringing them up to closer inspection. "How can someone get rid of your kekkai genkai completely like this?" Why didn't I notice this before?

"It's not," he said wearily. "It's sealed; I can't access it right now. I don't know what seal could do this, but as long as I still bear it I can't do my jutsu anymore."

Sakura ran her thumbs across his palms where the little grinning mouths should have been, finding it odd that they were no longer there. His skin was smooth and flawless, as if the mouths had never existed.

Sakura looked up at him and studied his expression. Logic be damned; she felt for him. No one deserved to be ripped apart and left so powerless like this. He was still a kid like her, still exploring and discovering what the world had to offer.

"I'm sorry," she said honestly. Her sincere expression made him tilt his head.

"Why?"

Sakura shook her head, looking back down at his hands that she was still holding gently. "You don't deserve this."

"Don't I?" The silent way he spoke it made her look back up at him. His expression was hardened. She could easily see what was flitting through his mind, thoughts of all the battles he had with Akatsuki and for having a hand at killing Gaara, and Sakura shook her head again.

"No," she said firmly, holding his hands even tighter.

He smirked faintly. "Then you are a fool, yeah," he said softly. The corner of Sakura's mouth twitched into a hesitant smile, and he looked down at her warmly. She didn't notice he'd threaded his fingers with hers until he used it to pull her closer.

That got her attention. Eyes wide, Sakura stiffened and looked at him with a mixture of fear and defensiveness. He kept his eyes locked on hers and shook his head. "Stop thinking."

"I can't," she replied automatically.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Try."

Before she could say anything else, Deidara closed the distance between them and brushed his lips against hers. It was light and chaste, and lasted no more than two seconds. Sakura's eyes flickered, and she looked into his eyes when he moved away a fraction of an inch to gaze down at her. He didn't move and seemed like he was not going to go any further, but the intent was still there and he did not step away. Neither did she.

Slowly Sakura's eyelids started to close, and Deidara picked this up and moved in to kiss her again immediately.

The fluttering in her stomach refused to stop as his mouth moved sensually against hers. His hands slid up her wrists and to her shoulders, then tracing down her back until they wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Automatically her arms circled around his neck as one hand ran through his mane of blonde hair. He tilted his head and kissed her slowly, one hand on the small of her back and the other tugging into her pink locks to tilt her head gently, massaging her lips in a tantalizing dance. He didn't deepen it further, but made sure she felt and remembered every blazing touch, every stroke of his lips as they pressed gently but firmly against her own. A particularly pleasurable glide of his mouth made her clench her hand in his hair and as a mewl left her throat.

The sound seemed to have awoken something in him, for in a matter of seconds he walked her backwards until her back met against a tree. His mouth was moving harder, more insistent and their lips were moving wildly against each other, a restlessness rushing between them. Her senses were being attacked in every direction, the feel of him pressed so deliciously against her like an addiction that she needed to have completely. His hands moved underneath her thighs and quickly lifted her up, and she wrapped them immediately around his hips. He bit her lower lip teasingly and her mouth parted in surprise, and he wasted no time in flicking his tongue in for a small moment. The little contact with his appendage brought a tingle down her spine and she moaned against his mouth, wanting more of the incredible feelings he was evoking from her. He growled at the sound and his hands came to rest at her hips. Tilting his head, he parted his lips and fully penetrated her mouth while simultaneously thrusting his hips up to hers.

The double sensation made her moan loudly and completely wrap herself around him tighter, ankles interlocking and arms moving more firmly around his neck. The feel of his clothed sex against hers did intense, shivery things to her body, and she knew if he kept pressing into her he would be able to feel the dampness of her own sex.

His tongue swirled against hers, and she met his with eagerness as they explored each others mouths. His hips started to rock into her, pushing her back harder and harder into the bark of the tree. Breathlessly they broke for air, and Deidara's lips started a blazing trail down her neck until it settled at the curve where her neck met her shoulder. He kissed it before nipping at the skin, brushing his tongue and sucking at her neck. Sakura closed her eyes and felt her head go limp at his ministrations.

At a particular hard suck Sakura moaned loudly and the sound of it made her eyes fly open, bringing her back down from the pleasured high she was riding. Her body stiffened and her hands slipped from his neck to push at his shoulders. His hips stilled its rhythmic movement and he reluctantly pulled away from her neck, looking down at her.

"Let me go," she said hoarsely, fighting to catch her breath. His eyes were pools of lust, gazing down her with fiery desire. He looked like he wanted to say something, but when he moved his head closer to her she turned away. She felt the hands digging in her thighs stiffen, and carefully he released her and stepped back.

She couldn't meet him in the eyes as she regained control of her breathing. Her heartbeat finally returned to normal, no longer racing with anticipation. Her panties were most definitely uncomfortable to stand in, as slick moisture had made its way through them and coated the opening of her center, reminding her of their interlude whenever she shifted her legs.

This was so wrong. Wrong on so many levels that she could never get away with. Lusting after her captive? An Akatsuki captive? Had she gone insane?

"We've got to keep moving," she said finally, braving herself to look at him again. He was staring at her blankly, and slowly put his hands in his pockets. His lips were still red and appeared thoroughly kissed, his hair slightly mussed from when she'd run her hands through them. Sakura could only imagine what she looked like right now. It was then that her eyes fell at the tent in his pants, and instantly she felt heat pooling in her cheeks. Her eyes flickered up to his and he raised a brow, clearly unashamed of having a hard-on and did nothing to turn away from her. Glancing away quickly, Sakura began to walk back to the campsite. After a few moments she heard him walking behind her.

.:..:..:.

"This is stupid," Deidara complained, leaning against the pillows on the bed heavily. "What a shit mission, yeah. If you hadn't found me I'm sure you would've put a kunai at your own throat to end this."

"It wasn't my choice," Sakura said irritatedly, fastening an earring with frustration. "And you don't even know what the mission is so stop complaining."

"You're in a dress, yeah," he said bluntly. "I can't imagine how interesting it could be."

"You're clearly not remembering the jobs kunoichi get that require a dress."

Deidara contemplated her words for a moment before his mouth parted. Sitting up, he said excitedly, "You're undercover? A seductress? Holy shit, I forgot all about kunoichi missions!"

Sakura shook her head at his sudden interest. Better him thinking she was doing some top-secret mission than a diplomatic meeting. Whatever floated his boat.

It had been a pain sneaking Deidara into Kumo, and even more to get him into the hotel provided from the Raikage undetected. She had sent a messenger bird to Konoha about holding Deidara captive, leaving out no detail on the loss of his bloodline limit. She didn't expect a response back until two days, which was unfortunate but unavoidable.

Sakura put on her shoes and turned to the blonde lounging on the bed. "Don't leave this room," she ordered. "Believe me. I'll know."

Deidara grinned and shifted more comfortably on the bed. "I'm fine right where I am, princess. Go seduce some warlord."

Sakura almost smiled and closed the door behind her.

The meeting was as dull and boring as it could get. It was more a formal dinner, and all the officials from each hidden village were spread out around the massive room. Sakura was sipping on a glass of some expensive drink, gazing at the people around her. Almost two hours had passed in this miscible atmosphere, and while Sakura's self-control was absolute, she couldn't help but admit Deidara's words were right. This was boring.

Suddenly her wrist started to burn, almost making Sakura drop the glass from her hand. She glanced down at the band around her wrist and her eyes went wide. Deidara's chakra was flaring tremendously.

He was trying to escape.

Setting the glass down on a table, Sakura graciously excused herself and departed from the room, sprinting back over to her hotel that was just across the street. Taking off her heels, she bound up the staircase in silent, lightning-fast movements and flung open the door to her room.

Everything was where she had left it. The room was silent, the windows shut. Curiously Sakura walked through the bedroom and saw the sheets dragged down, as if someone had fallen off of it.

A noise came from her left, and Sakura strode to the bathroom. Throwing open the door, Sakura was surprised at the sight that met her. Rushing to the floor, Sakura knelt by Deidara's side as he twitched slightly, sprawled onto the tiles. His shirt was missing, and from the looks of it he was preparing for a shower. Clearly he didn't get that far.

"What happened?" she asked, putting her hand on his forehead.

"Don't…know…" he grunted, clutching his abdomen. "Just hurts…"

"Where? What hurts?" she demanded, not knowing what to heal.

"Chakra…my chakra is…hurting…me…"

What? Sakura glanced down him, and noted how tightly he was curling his hands into fists. Did it have something to do with the seal?

Deidara gave a painful moan, his muscles spasming. Frantically Sakura tore off the chakra bands around his wrists and massaged them. "Did that help?"

He scrunched his eyes tightly closed and paused, then shook his head. She was running out of ideas, and she had no idea how to heal someone from their own chakra. Why was his chakra hurting him?

Her eyes caught on to something inky and black on Deidara's bare back. Gently turning him over, her eyes widened. A seal, its diameter the size of a watermelon's, was spinning rapidly at the base of his spine. She knew nothing about releasing seals, only having seen it done by Tsunade once. She knew textually how it was done, but would that be enough? Her eyes focused on Deidara's pained face. If things kept up like this, then she was certain that Deidara was going to die.

It was that thought that forced Sakura into action. The prospect of the young blonde Akatsuki's death was simply unacceptable to her. Taking a deep breath, Sakura said, "Try as hard as you can to hold still, Deidara."

He glanced at her and gave a weak nod, then closed his eyes. Gathering chakra at the very tips of her fingers, she looked at the seal. It was spinning wildly, but she could see five prongs where the release was. It was moving too fast though, and if she hit the seal wrong and not on the prongs exactly, the effect could be explosive and kill Deidara even faster. It was times like these that Sakura wished she had a Sharingan to follow its movements.

Gritting her teeth, Sakura pulled her arm back and calculated the exact timing when her fingers would hit the seal. With a swift movement, Sakura jammed her fingers into the seal, her chakra infusing into Deidara's skin instantly.

Deidara groaned in pain loudly, jerking at the contact but clenching his jaw hard to prevent himself from thrashing about. Her fingers were digging into his back, and she looked and saw that her fingers were on the five prongs exactly.

The seal glowed brightly in black before disappearing. Sakura held her breath and moved away her fingers, but gasped when a second seal was revealed underneath. A second one appeared merely seconds later, and then a third.

"What the hell…" Sakura muttered. Deidara was limp but conscious, panting harshly.

"Did it work?" he asked, a grimace on his face. "The pain stopped."

"It did?" He nodded. "Are your mouths back?"

Deidara unclenched his fists and gazed at his palms. "No," he grunted bitterly. "They're not back."

Sakura figured as much. Quietly she said, "This is multi-layer seal. I got rid of the first one that was causing your chakra pain. I think this one is the one that could return your kekkai genkai to you."

He widened his eyes. "Can you remove it?" he whispered.

Sakura bit her lip, staring at his back with visible consternation. "I don't know," she answered softly. "I…it's really complicated." Deidara listened to this and closed his eyes, dropping his head onto the tiled floor. She could feel the helplessness radiating off of him in melancholic waves, and Sakura said in quiet determination, "But I will try my hardest."

Taking a calming breath, Sakura gently touched his lower back, tracing over the seals. They were not spinning like the first one, but each had different sets of prongs on them. At first she thought the purpose would be to hit them all at the same time, but knew it couldn't be that easy.

Closing her eyes, she gently skimmed the skin where the seals were. After a moment her touch became more methodical and insistent, her mouth forming a small frown. Each seal had its own set of chakra to it, and she realized only one was the correct one to strike. The decoys would probably do Deidara harm should she strike them…even going as far as to permanently seal his kekkai genkai forever and killing him. As her fingers traced over the black edges, she honed in her attention to the chakras emanating from each black swirl.

Two seals had mix of a purplish, murky chakra and Deidara's blue chakra. The third, sitting at the very base of Deidara's back, was filled with the purple chakra and then something darker, something Deidara's chakra couldn't penetrate or bind to.

Opening her eyes, Sakura gathered chakra to her fingers and prayed she was right. Before she struck she leaned over to Deidara's ear and whispered gently, "I truly wish we met under different circumstances, Deidara." She lightly brushed her lips to his cheek and straightened, jamming her fingers into the third seal before he could ponder upon her words.

He jolted, his back curving madly, and her fingers began to burn. She heard him shout in pain, and for a moment she thought she figured it out all wrong, and that the words she whispered to him just moments ago were the last—but then his back relaxed, and his breathing became even, and the three seals disappeared completely.

He was motionless for a while, and Sakura settled down on the bathroom floor, no longer kneeling. Her own breathing was quite fast, and Sakura tried hard to bring it back to normal. Deidara opened his eyes and blinked a few times, then pushed against his forearms to lift himself off the floor. Immediately Sakura was at his side and helped him sit up. She looked at his face and the expression made her heart skip a beat; he was looking down at her so openly, fill with such emotion that Sakura had been running away from the moment he gained consciousness after she healed him two weeks ago.

"Are you okay?" she whispered softly. He blinked and nodded slowly, then lowered his gaze to look down at his hands. His eyes went wide with disbelief. "Theyre…they're back," he said hoarsely, looking at her with awe. "You removed the seal. I'm…I…"

He lowered his hands to her so that she could see them, and Sakura saw two grinning mouths baring their teeth at her. A tongue slithered out of his left hand and licked its lips, the other one following suit.

Sakura looked up at him and he gazed at her intensely. Not able to hold it back any longer, a smile began spreading on her lips until it became a full-blown grin, and Deidara found himself doing the same. A breathless laugh left his mouth, and Sakura laughed with him, grabbing his hands and inspecting the little mouths before smiling up at him.

He stared down at her and slowly the grin began to fade, until he was merely looking at her intently. All traces of humor left his face, and Sakura felt that fluttering in her stomach again. His hand moved to her hair, gently tucking a stray pink strand behind her ear. Sakura found herself leaning into his touch as it lingered, his palm settling on her cheek.

"Sakura…" said Deidara softly. She shuddered as he spoke her name, sounding like a velvet caress with his deep, melodious voice. His hand trailed down her neck and grasped the back of it, pulling her closer. Sakura hesitated and gently stopped him with her hand on his, pulling it away from her neck.

"You've been through a lot," Sakura murmured, taking in his disheveled form. "You should get some rest."

Once again Deidara seemed to be on the brink of contradicting her, but instead turned away. Slowly he struggled to his feet, and Sakura wasted no time in coming around him and helping him up, guiding him back to the bed.

She was about to turn around when he caught her wrist. "You're tired too, yeah," Deidara said. "Rest."

"I…" Her eyes looked at his body, buried underneath the sheets. He smirked slightly at her gaze.

"I'll be a perfect gentleman," he promised with a half grin, pulling her insistently.

Sakura sighed and looked wistfully at the door. The mission was still waiting for her, although there was going to be another meeting in two days. And he was right; disabling that seal did drain her quite a bit, enough that she was slightly unsteady on her feet.

The mission, though…

Her eyes went back to Deidara, who was focused on her intently.

Screw the mission.

"Okay," she relented, and missed the spark that lighted in Deidara's eyes. "Let me go change first." Deidara released her wrist as she shuffled to her pack, extracting some sleepwear. Silently she went to the bathroom and changed quickly, though a small sliver of anticipation was niggling at her mind. So much of this was wrong, so much that she was holistically denying herself, and yet she was falling straight into what she didn't want to do.

It's just sleeping, Sakura assured to herself, though it was in vain. We're tired. Nothing more.

Sakura opened the bathroom door and padded to the bed, noting that Deidara's eyes were closed. She slipped into the covers silently, settling into the bed. Turning her head, she looked at Deidara. He seemed to have already fallen asleep, much to her amusement. He truly had been bone-tired.

Sakura wondered suddenly if what she was doing was right after all. Something had hurt Deidara beyond belief. And yet, he showed her no scorn, even though she was going to hand him over to Konoha and remained her captive. How was that possible? Why was he so—so nice to her? Why did he always offer his hand when she would trip over a root when traveling? Why did he say certain things that he knew would make her laugh, no matter how hard she tried to prevent it? Why was he everything she wished she had but couldn't; why did he have to be Akatsuki?

These thoughts were draining the energy out of her, and she realized none of these questions would ever be answered. It was what is was, and it was unfortunate that Sakura couldn't meet him under different circumstances.

"I could see myself falling for you," she whispered to herself in realization, and then clapped her hand over her mouth when she realized she'd said that out loud. Her eyes darted over to Deidara, but he remained still with his even, rhythmic breathing. Sighing in relief, Sakura turned quietly to her side and stared out the window.

Everything was just so complicated.

.:..:..:.

It was dark outside when she woke up.

Moonlight was streaming through the blinds. Sakura blinked sleepily and stretched, hearing the satisfying cracks in her joints. She turned her head and saw the other half of the bed empty. Sakura saw dim light coming from the bathroom, the door halfway open. Sakura sat up and slipped out of bed, wondering if Deidara was still feeling ill after releasing the seal.

She walked up to the door silently, peeking inside. He was standing in front of the sink. Sakura gently knocked on the door and pushed it open slightly to give her a full view of him.

"You alright?" she asked. He was staring into the mirror and moved his eyes to her reflection. Smirking, he said, "Just fine, yeah."

"Is your chakra still hurting?"

"No."

"Is your bloodline limit still functional?"

He smirked again. "Yes."

Sakura nodded, suddenly feeling awkward. Nervously scratching the back of her head, she mumbled, "Well that's good. I'll go order some food if you're hung—"

During her rambling he had turned around and moved closer to her, and suddenly caressed her cheek with his hand.

"Deidara…"

He stopped her words by brushing his thumb over her lips, and Sakura had to close her eyes to fight of the urge to kiss it. Clenching her hands into fists, she stared at him hard.

"We can't."

He tilted his head slightly. "Why not?"

"You should know."

"I don't," he replied easily, moving closer to her. She began to take steps back, until her back met the wall of the bathroom. "Enlighten me."

"You're Akatsuki."

"I work for Akatsuki," Deidara corrected. "And if your plan goes through, I won't be for much longer."

"You're a killer," she said without missing a beat. His eyes narrowed.

"Don't be a hypocrite, yeah," he said darkly.

"That's different," Sakura protested but Deidara shook his head.

"We have different bosses, yeah. That's about it."

"You hurt innocent people!" Sakura cried, her mind instantly going to Naruto and all the other jinchuuriki she knew his organization was after.

Deidara sighed. "Like I said. It's just a job."

Sakura shook her head. "I hate you."

Deidara leaned his arms on either side of her head. "I sincerely doubt that," he said quietly, his face inches away from her.

"I could never forgive myself. It's just wrong."

"What do you want, Sakura?" Deidara asked mutedly. "I'm your captive. Most likely your Hokage is going to torture and imprison me and then have me executed. I should have died in that river," he emphasized, blue eyes flashing, "but you brought me back to life and restored me my kekkai genkai."

Sakura lowered her eyes, biting her lip. "Don't tell me you don't feel something whenever we're together," said Deidara softly. "I see it in your eyes when you look at me. You just keep denying yourself."

Sakura looked up at him with angry eyes. "How can you say these things so easily?" she whispered. "Can't you see where I'm coming from? This could all be a trap. You could be trying to kill me. You would've killed Gaara if Chiyo baa-sama hadn't brought him back, and are trying to kill Naruto!" she looked away from him. "It's not easy to just forget all that after just two weeks," she muttered. "I would be a fool to let my body get the best of me."

"You're already a fool, yeah," Deidara said after a moment, then stepped back. He eyed her for a second before shaking his head. "You really have no clue."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "About what?"

A mocking smile twisted his lips. "How easy it would've been these past two weeks for me to kill you, yeah. And yet here you are, breathing and going on bullshit diplomatic meetings with the Raikage."

Her eyes went wide as saucers. "H-how—"

Deidara looked at her as if she were a naïve genin. "I'm an S-class criminal, Sakura. I didn't get that title just for looking good."

A little fear was filling inside her. "What else do you know?"

Deidara shrugged. "Not a lot. You've been sent on mission leave for four weeks. Probably because you've been overworked at the hospital you work at back in Konoha, or so your Hokage said when she scrawled that little note on your mission scroll. This was an easy assignment, and it was just luck that you found me by the river. You have another meeting in two days. You attempted to contact Konoha when you found me."

"It wasn't an attempt, I sent the messenger bird already," Sakura cut him off, though she was still stunned at just how much he knew about her mission.

"The letter never got delivered," he replied easily.

Sakura scowled at him. "And why do you say that?"

"Because I have it in my pocket."

Sakura's mouth opened slightly as he pulled it out. Angrily she made a swipe for it but he he crushed it in his fist and Sakura childishly grabbed his wrist. He opened his palm and Sakura was dismayed when she saw his hand was empty, and then realized the mouth on his hand was chewing vigorously.

Sakura looked up at him with contempt and Deidara continued on relentlessly. "Do you have an idea now? How much you're completely at my power? You were even better and broke the seal that bastard Pein set on me, yeah. I never did thank you for that."

"You're a monster," she whispered, looking at him incredulously.

"No," he said, his eyes flashing with anger. "But you like to make me one." He kicked the door that was partially open , sending it flying against the wall. Sakura flinched, and looked at him as he grasped her wrist and thrust something onto it. "You left these in here, yeah."

He left then, and numbly Sakura looked down. Two black, broken chakra bands were in her hand.

Hands trembling, Sakura stared blankly at the chakra bands she had ripped off of him herself. If he had no restraints, and his kekkai genkai was fully restored…why was he still here? Why hadn't he tried to hurt her.

Agitated thoughts swirling in her mind, Sakura furiously marched out of the bathroom and saw Deidara approaching the bed. Angrily she tried to push his back but he sensed her beforehand, and with the agility of a true shinobi, he sidestepped the hit and turned around. Without missing a beat, she tried to shove him again, but he caught her wrists.

"What the hell, yeah?" he shouted.

"Why are you here?" she demanded. "Nothing's keeping you. You're fully healed and you have full access to your chakra and your jutsu. So what is it? Was this all part of the plan? Am I your hostage now?"

"I think you're still delirious from sleep," said Deidara with a deep frown, eyes sparking with anger. "Go back to bed, yeah."

"Oh that's rich. As if I would do that now," said Sakura scathingly. "Why are you here?Why aren't you trying to kill me?"

"Is that an invitation?" he said dangerously, hands balling into tight fists.

"Why are you here!" she screamed desperately.

Sakura's body was yanked upwards and hard, angry lips crashed into hers. Biting her lip hard, he yanked her hair and pulled her head away. "That's why I'm here," he said harshly.

Sakura threw a chakra-enhanced fist into his ribs and sent him flying into the wall. He was up and on his feet almost instantly, and Sakura strode up to him and tried to hit him again but Deidara easily blocked, and was behind her in an instant. Grasping her forearms, he twisted them behind her back and pushed her chest into the wall.

"That's it, then?" Sakura hissed with disgust. "You want to fuck me before you kill me? Is this getting you off, Deidara-kun? Are you getting hot from this?"

A growl was rumbling in his throat and Sakura used his distracted anger to kick back her foot and slam it into his shin. He grunted and stumbled back, and Sakura twisted out of his grasp and threw another fist. He moved out of the way and her hit landed onto the dresser, destroying it and breaking it into several split pieces with a resounding crash. Wildly Sakura whirled around to catch Deidara's movement, and saw a spark of fire light his eyes. He glanced at the destroyed dresser and a smirk lifted his mouth. Sakura growled, realizing the bastard really was getting turned on by this.

"That's more fucking like it, yeah," he said with a heated grin spreading across his face, though his body was in a battle stance. "I think it's my turn, though." Sakura watched as Deidara brought his hand into a fist and then opened it, revealing a tiny clay bird. It jumped off his hand and zoomed towards Sakura in seconds, and Sakura had only a half second to jump away before it exploded.

She heard a flutter behind her and jerked to the side, another clay bird exploding and launching a quick succession of bursts all around her. Sakura crashed to the ground, choking on the amount of debris and dust filling the air. She heard loud chuckling in the room and Sakura pushed herself quickly to her feet.

"You are a perfect muse, yeah," Deidara said from her side, his breath tickling her neck. "So destructive. The perfect, living form of art."

Sakura whipped around and tightened her fists, her anger escalating that he found amusement in their battle. She twisted her torso and launched a high kick, which he blocked but gave her ample time to twist to the side and crack her fist against his jaw. He stumbled back and suddenly she felt the air knock out of her lungs, small bird exploding in front of her. She fell to the ground and landed on her side, a low groan emitting from her throat. Deidara was on her instantly, pinning her hands next to her head. Sakura growled and viciously gathered chakra to her upper body that allowed her to flip them over easily, trapping him under her.

They were panting heavily, dust and dirt covering their frayed clothes. Sakura gazed down at his face, mouth slightly parted and blue eyes flashing with a mix of irritation and eagerness. His eyes flickered down to her mouth, and suddenly Sakura felt the restraint that she had been desperately holding snap; she wanted him, not having felt this way for another person ever before. He infuriated her and made her want to beat him bloody and the fact that he was so untouchable and just wrong made her want to kiss him senseless all the more. She knew it was not right, she knew the repercussions would be not be in her favor, and it was pleasing realize that throughout the duration Sakura had been with Deidara, not once had tortured thoughts of Sasuke crossed her mind.

And perhaps it was because of that, the fact that Sakura had indefinitely moved on from the Uchiha after leaving her and the village, taking years to heal the wound in her heart; that the fact that somebody desired her was like a high she never rode before. It felt wonderful, the way he made her feel. The way he grinned and pissed her off and made her forget on so many occasions that he was the enemy. It was perfection.

Thousands of these thoughts passed in the second he had momentarily lowered his gaze to her lips, and the second right after when he looked back up at Sakura's eyes, he saw the shift in her gaze, as if he could read her thoughts just from the emerald green irises bearing down on him.

Without a second thought, Sakura lowered her head and kissed him hard, their lips battling and teeth mashing the instant they made contact. Deidara wasted no time in plunging his tongue into her mouth, and Sakura let out a loud moan of pleasure. He rolled them over, and Sakura felt him press down onto her completely. Her back arched when his right hand began massaging her breast.

His lips left hers to trail down to her neck, resuming where he'd left off last time. His teeth were biting gently and sucking hard yet sensually, and Sakura couldn't stop the small sounds of pleasure passing from parted lips. Her hands gripped his shoulders and twined around his neck, diving into his soft, blonde hair.

Deidara's hand slowly skimmed down to the edge of her shirt and slipped his warm fingers underneath, causing Sakura to inhale sharply. He pushed the shirt up slowly, taking his time to reveal her skin inch by inch while caressing her torso until he had it memorized. His lips finally retreated from her neck and he looked down at her, eyes darkened by desire.

"Do you want me?" he murmured, his face serious. Sakura blinked and said breathlessly, "Yes."

He touched their foreheads together, pulling her shirt until they were bunched just beneath her breasts. "Do you want to create art with me?"

Sakura blushed at the implication of his words and swallowed thickly. He was holding her gaze, and she knew if she refused he would stop right where they were, albeit a little frustratedly. Pinning her gaze to his, she replied, "Yes."

She gasped when suddenly the shirt was torn open, tearing it until it fell limp on the floor on its own. Sakura gazed up at him and saw him gazing at her with an intensity that pooled straight to her center, her body anticipating pleasure from just one look.

She was wearing plain pink cotton bra, her breasts heaving slightly as she panted. Deidara leaned down and kissed her collarbone before whispering in her ear, "I hope you're ready for a long night, Sakura."

Sakura replied by pulling down his face to kiss him, taking her time to fully explore his mouth this time. Their tongues glided together slowly, and Sakura shivered as he tilted their heads and stroked deeper into her mouth. His fingers skimmed up the sides of her waist and on the sides of her breasts, up to the straps of her bra. His thumbs brushed at her collarbones and then hooked under the straps, sliding it down her shoulders slowly.

He pulled back and looked into her eyes steadily before dipping down and kissing the top of her left breast above the cup. She closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation as his left hand skimmed over her right breast. She watched his head bend lower and suddenly his tongue licked her clothed nipple, and Sakura mewled softly, her back arching just very slightly. His teeth pulled on that spot and Sakura whimpered, wishing desperately that he'd just take the damn thing off.

Deidara glanced up at her and smirked devilishly, noting her rabid anticipation. Finally showing some mercy, he slipped his hand under her back and unclasped the bra, watching Sakura shrug out of it before tossing it far behind him. Unbound and free, the sight of her naked torso must have shifted something, because his eyes darkened significantly and without waiting another second, his mouth latched onto a nipple.

Sakura's back jolted and moaned loudly, her body struck with sensation. He flicked it slowly with his tongue, swirling it around and sucking on it slowly. Sakura whimpered as his hand went to her free breast, his fingers teasing the bud and rolling it between his fingers. She moved restlessly beneath him as he pleasured her, twisting and stroking her nipple then massaging her breast, fitting nicely in his palm. He switched breasts and gave equal attention of her right breast with his mouth. Sakura's breaths were coming out in short pants, sounds unwittingly coming from her throat.

"Deidara…" she whispered, and rolled her hips upwards on instinct, wanting so much more of him. He pulled away and smiled, filling both palms with her breasts before saying, "Not so fast, princess. We're going to take our time for the first round."

Her eyes widened slightly when she felt mouths sucking on her breasts, and her mouth opened in a soundless scream. She whimpered as she felt tongues swirl her nipples, and she watched with pleasured curiosity as the mouths of his hands brought out a mix of sensations through her body. Deidara started kissing her again, running his tongue over hers as the tongues on his hands started swirling faster and faster on her erect buds. Sakura whined and shivered, a steady rush of juices dampening her core, and she became almost certain that Deidara was going to make her orgasm on this alone.

He pulled back suddenly, and Sakura made a noise of discontent at the loss of all contact. He shrugged off his shirt and began kissing down her abdomen, and Sakura twined her hands into his hair, stroking his shoulders. He easily pulled off her pajamas and Sakura reached over to help him out of his own. Sitting up now, Sakura moved to kneel in front of him and leaned over to kiss him gently, running her hands down his body, wanting to capture every ripple and expanse of warm skin as she could. He made a small grunt at her exploration, their kiss growing more and more heated by the second. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and straddled him, loving the delicious way their bare chests felt against each other. Deidara groaned an ran his hand up and down her back, digging into her hair, stroking her breast, never able to stay still for one moment. The little lips on his palms kissed and nipped as they went over her body, and Sakura shivered when they brushed against the middle of her back, arching wildly. He grinned against her mouth and pulled away enough to look at her.

"Sensitive?" he teased.

"Maybe," she said breathlessly, a smile crossing her face to meet his. She kissed his neck affectionately and his chest rumbled against hers. He moved then, steadily rising to his feet and led them towards the bed, whose legs had collapsed from the fight they'd had moments before. Sakura sat down and crawled backwards, Deidara prowling above her. He lowered his head and kissed her deeply. Slowly his hand stroked her stomach, then skimmed down to a toned thigh. He pressed her into the pillows as he settled slightly above her. His knees pushed through between her legs and Sakura spread them on either side of his hips, her breath quickening.

His right hand stroked her thigh, fingers caressing the skin with delicacy. They moved down to her inner thigh, touching as a tongue occasionally darting to taste the skin there. He was purposefully taking his time on his quest to where she desperately wanted him to touch, and she shifted in silent plea.

He watched her, had been watching her every move and every expression of pleasure that shone on her face with rapt attention, as if feeding off of her open and genuine reactions to his stimulations. Wanting to see her face twist into something more, he brushed a finger directly over her center.

Sakura gasped, hips twitching for more. She looked at him intensely, waiting for him to make his move. All traces of amusement were gone from his face, just the darkened blue eyes that bore into her soul. Sakura's hips lifted slightly when he pushed his finger in over her clothed opening.

She moaned and felt herself get wetter just from that small contact. He pushed in harder and moved his finger around in a circle, feeling her panties slide against the juices collected there. Without any more preamble, he pushed her panties aside and dipped his finger in.

"Ah!" Sakura's body jolted at the intrusion, pleasure shooting through her nerve endings and inner muscles clenching around his finger. He pumped it in her slowly, loving the way he could draw out the noises she was making for him, the way her breathing had escalated instantly and her face a vision of bliss. His free hand moved up to her breast and instantly let the mouth latch onto her bud, sucking and licking while he slipped a second finger inside her.

"D…Dei…dara…." She moaned, moving helplessly under him and gripping his biceps with fervor. He found himself loving the way she said his name, breathless and lustful and totally enraptured. He started pumping harder into her, adding a third finger, moving until he had her lifting her hips and fuck herself on his fingers alone. The mouth on her breast was working wildly, and Deidara leaned down to take her free bud unto his mouth, moving the bud into his mouth and letting his tongue roll over it swiftly. Her moans were becoming quicker and more breathless. Deidara drew back to watch her as he pulled out his fingers and slowly let the tongue on his hand lick up her slit.

She cried out and her hips bucked, and Deidara slid off her panties and grabbed both of her thighs, pushing them wide apart. He shifted backwards and lowered his head and saw just how wet he had made her, and he felt himself get harder looking at the sight. She was lifting her head to look at him, emerald eyes struggling to focus on his actions. He didn't let her get far enough to speak before he used his fingers to spread her lips apart and slide his tongue in.

Her hips thrashed wildly and the cry that Sakura let out rang around the bedroom, but Deidara stroked her relentlessly, licking her and penetrating her with his tongue. He lapped at the dripping moisture and pushed forward, feeling her hands dive into his hair grip it hard. Her voice was a constant stream of moans, and Deidara finally moved to her swollen clit and covered it with his mouth. She shrieked and shivered violently as he ran his tongue moved over it repeatedly, sucking and swirling until he had her screaming.

"Dei—da—ra!"

He continued his assault and then moved his hands up to grasp her breasts, and the hands started a frenzied pace on her nipples. Moisture leaked out of her and coated her sex completely, dripping onto the bed sheets as her body started trembling. A brush of his teeth on her bundle of nerves and a simultaneous suck on both breasts was what finally threw her into oblivion, crying out loudly as the muscles of her sex clenched and trembled, her body shivering uncontrollably. He continued licking her clit throughout her orgasm, never ceasing the assault on her nipples, wanting her to feel it for as long as she could stand. She groaned helplessly as she continued riding her release, Deidara's masterful mouth and hands stimulating her to the point of blinding pleasure.

"P-please…" she cried feebly, "Deidara—ah!"

He released her breasts and moved up, hauling her hips up to meet his covered erection. She mewled and tightened her legs around him, and he slipped off his boxers and knelt before her. He gazed at her for a moment, her hair mussed and her nipples completely erect, a flush running from her cheeks down to her neck.

"Beautiful," he whispered, and couldn't resist bending down to kiss her swollen lips. She moaned against his mouth and he pulled back, and brought the tip of his cock to her slit. Coating some of her juices onto his hard length, he leaned over and rested his weight onto his forearms. Foreheads touching, he stared at her steadily before letting his tip slide in.

She moaned and tilted her hips, lifting her hands from his arms to his shoulders. Then without warning, he thrust inside her and filled her to the hilt.

She arched wildly against him and cried out loudly, fingers digging into his back. He felt her muscles clamping onto him, adjusting to his girth. He pulled out halfway and thrust back in, eliciting another moan and shiver of her thighs against his hips. His eyes nearly rolled backwards at how warm and wet and tight she was around him, driving him nearly insane as he groaned softly. She wrapped her legs around him and lifted her head to meet his lips, kissing him passionately as he began a steady rhythm inside her.

It was getting harder and harder for Sakura to breathe as Deidara buried himself over and over into her. His back slick with sweat, he lifted her thigh higher up and changed the angle, thrusting harder into her repeatedly. Sakura's eyes widened and moaned at every instance he pushed into her, causing her toes to curl and her hips to meet up to his pace. His breath was coming out in harsh pants, his eyes never leaving her face. She spread her legs even wider apart and tilted her hips, and Deidara groaned as he felt himself filling her completely.

Leaning backwards, Deidara rose to his knees and took a tone thigh into each hand, gripping them tightly before pulling her hard onto him. She shrieked and closed her eyes as she arched wildly, her hands reaching behind and gripping the wooden bars of the bed frame.

"Ah! Deidaraaa!" she wailed as he pounded into her soft flesh, the force of his thrusts shoving her bodily backwards and slamming the bed frame into the opposite wall. His hips moved fast, his length jamming slickly inside her with unbearable pleasure, and Sakura found that she could no long keep up and could only hold on to dear life. The wooden bars enclosed around her fists groaned slightly, and suddenly she felt them splinter and shatter completely in her grasp.

The stunned look on Sakura's face when she broke the bed frame with her inhuman chakra strength made Deidara laugh breathlessly, his thrusts slowing into a teasing pace. "You're incredible," he said, grinning with desire as he gave a particularly hard thrust. Sakura's eyes glazed and she rose to her elbows and gently maneuvered herself so she straddled him while they both sat up. She leaned back slightly with one arm behind her and gyrated her hips onto his arousal, and Deidara groaned at her actions. He leaned over and kissed her breast, and Sakura moved up and pushed him onto his back so that she sat on him, taking control.

"You can't be the only one to have fun," she purred with a half smile, and lifted herself off him before sliding down. Her face contorted slightly as they rolled their hips, soon losing all sense as he slammed up into her as she slid down onto him. She rode him desperately, and he watched in complete fascination as her body moved sensually on top of him. His hands grasped her hips as he pushed up into her, then moved up to touch her shivering stomach and up between the valleys of her breasts, until his hand covered her throat.

He could tell from the way she was tightening around him and the escalating volume of her moans that she was getting close, and she whimpered softly when their eyes connected.

"Deidara," she breathed, and he grabbed her hips and rolled them over again before lifting her leg over his shoulder and pounding into her, his hand finding her clit and rolling it between his fingers. She screamed and he felt her juices flowing out even more, his name spilling like a mantra from her lips.

"Come," Deidara grunted, stroking her clit relentlessly. His breaths were coming out in sharp pants, blue eyes searing her own unwaveringly. "Come, Sakura!"

Sakura screamed and felt her body go rigid, her muscles clamping like a vice onto Deidara's pistoning length. He groaned loudly and thrusted erratically, until with one final plunge his tip bumped against her cervix and hot liquid shot out of his arousal. Sakura moaned as his tip expanded inside of her and warm liquid began to fill her deep inside.

It was as if blinding sparks of light had stolen her vision and mad her forget to breathe. She felt Deidara stiffen above her, and it took several long minutes for Sakura to come back down from the heaven she was riding in. She felt soft kisses being placed on the nape of her neck, and weakly Sakura stroked his hair and opened her eyes. He lifted his head to look at her, and Sakura leaned in and kissed him soundly on the mouth. He returned it gently, then pulled away and gazed at her with an indescribable emotion. She sighed and then gasped when he pulled himself out of her, a pool of liquid rushing out of her opening and sliding down onto the sheets.

He settled beside her and Sakura turned to face him, her eyes closing in lethargy. His hand was stroking her back when she heard him say with quiet amusement, "Art is a bang, yeah."

.:..:..:.

"I have to go," Sakura pleaded as Deidara's head disappeared under the hem of her dress. "I have to be at that diplomatic me—ah!—meeting!" she panted, though she knew it was falling on deaf ears. She felt him chuckle against her slit and she moaned, leaning more heavily against the bathroom sink.

That man is talented, Sakura's mind sighed in bliss, and she desperately looked at the clock mounted on the wall. Half past one. She had thirty minutes.

He did something sinfully delicious to her bundle of nerves and Sakura felt herself grow wetter and hotter by the second. Suddenly he slipped out from her dress and spun Sakura around so she was bent over the sink.

"You have thirty minutes, yeah," he whispered hotly against her ear with traces of humor. "I can make you come twice in half that time."

"Cocky bastard," she mumbled, though the past two days had certainly proved that theory correct.

A chuckle rumbled against her back and she felt him lift up her dress and slip down her panties. She watched him through the mirror as he pulled down his pants and then nudged her legs apart wide.

"You love it, yeah," he whispered, eyes locking with hers in the mirror as her plunged inside her and started thrusting into her wildly. She cried out and gripped the edges of the porcelain sink, feeling his hot breath against his neck. She felt her heart race dizzyingly fast and all reasons not to do this right now suddenly dying on her lips.

She ended up two minutes early at the diplomatic meeting with a stiff walk, grumbling at the unfairness of his extra mouths' advantage for making her release just as he told her she would.

.:..:..:.

"What's wrong?"

Sakura looked up from her lap and saw him staring down at her with a frown. She shrugged, giving him a weak smile.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

He watched her carefully for a moment. Suddenly she said, "We're supposed to leave today."

He blinked. "Yeah, we are."

Sakura looked away from him. They had approached this subject only once, and even then it had been forced and quickly thrown to the side. Now it was unavoidable.

"You're going to go back with them, aren't you," she sighed resignedly. She felt a hand run through her hair and he tilted her chin. He kissed her softly, then pulled back to look at her.

"I have to. Just like you have to return to your village." He smirked. "Unless you still want to attempt keeping me as your captive."

"No," she sighed again, frowning up at him. "I know a lost battle when I see one. Frankly I'm too sore to get my ass kicked right now."

He smirked at that, and she could just see the testosterone shoot to his head at the reason behind her soreness.

"Will you tell your Hokage?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," she said without hesitating. "She'll know everything...except everything from the past four days." He tilted his head, blond hair uncovering the scope on his left eye that she found absolutely fascinating. "She doesn't need to know about my personal life," she said defensively.

He held up his hands and chuckled. "I didn't say anything, yeah!"

Sakura glared and looked away, and Deidara tucked a pink strand of hair behind her cheek. She looked up at him with an almost wistful gaze. "You don't have to go, you know," she said half-heartedly.

He smiled. "Yes, I do."

"No you don't," she said eagerly, straightening from her seat to look up at him fully. "If you just come back with me—and you said yourself that your leader was the one to set that horrible seal on you—"

"As a lesson," he grumbled, not liking to think of the days without his kekkai genkai.

"Deidara, we could—" she paused when she gazed into his eyes, and felt herself deflate at the expression she saw reflected back at her. "Fine. Go. I'll…we can forget this ever happened."

She heard chuckling, and Sakura looked up indignantly. "You think this is funny?" she snapped.

Smiling mirthfully he bent down and brushed his nose against hers. "Yeah."

Anger building, Sakura jerked herself away from him and stood up, reaching for her pack when she felt his arms circle around her waist and pull her against his chest tightly. "It's funny that you think I would forget you," he said quietly in her ear. "Or that I would let this be the last time we share a room, yeah."

Eyes widening, Sakura turned her head to look at him from the side. "What do you mean?" she whispered.

He gave a cocky grin and licked her cheek. Sakura spluttered and wriggled, but that only caused him to hold onto her even more tightly. Turning her around in his arms, Deidara dipped down to gently brush his lips against hers. She melted into the embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck, sighing against his mouth. He pulled back slightly, their lips still touching.

"Look for my clay bird, yeah." He stroked her cheek gently. "The day you found me by the river you told me you wouldn't let go of me that easily," he said seriously, azure eyes locking with emerald. "I intend to do the same."

.:..:..:.

"That's very unfortunate, Sakura."

"I know, shishou. I apologize."

Tsunade sighed and waved her hand tiredly. "It doesn't matter. It wasn't your mission anyway. I'm surprised you were able to keep hold of him as long as you had."

Sakura refrained from biting her lip and stared resolutely at the Hokage. "Send in your mission report at the end of the week," Tsunade said boredly, already returning to her paperwork. "And good job with the Raikage. He's requested to have you be the diplomatic mediator in future meetings."

Inwardly Sakura groaned but instead smiled brightly and bowed. "Thank you, shishou."

"You are dismissed."

Sakura left the Hokage tower with a sigh, wondering how quickly time had brought her here, back into her village. It felt surreal, almost as if this wasn't really reality at all. And she knew the longer she stayed here and returned to her normal life, the more and more the time with Deidara would feel like it never happened…

"Sa~ku~ra-chan!" Naruto's loud sing-song voice filtered her mind, and Sakura looked up. The grinning blonde had Sai walking next to him with a casual arm thrown around his shoulders.

"Sai-kun," she smiled.

"Ugly," Sai greeted, and Sakura's self-control immediately set in as she forced herself to keep the smile on her face.

"Me and Sai here were gonna go to Ichiraku's. Wanna come?"

Sakura shook her head, feeling her muscles scream for reprieve. "Sorry, Naruto. I just came back and I'd really just like some sleep."

"I told Dickless that you'd be tired be he wouldn't listen," said Sai calmly, and Naruto blanched.

"Hey! Don't call me that, you jerk!"

Sakura smiled gently and waved goodbye before trudging on to her apartment. Stepping inside, she felt like it had been years ago since she last slept in her own bed. Smiling slightly, Sakura went up the stairs and headed straight for the shower. After scrubbing herself clean, Sakura emerge twenty minutes later with full intentions to collapse on her pillow and get some much-needed sleep.

Towel-drying her hair, Sakura tossed it onto a chair and then turned to her bed. She felt a draft and shivered, noting with some dismay that the window was slightly open. Frowning she moved to close it.

When she turned back to her bed, Sakura's eyes went wide.

A small clay bird was sitting on her bed.

A grin started creeping on her face as she bent to pick it up. A pair of arms slipped around her waist and Sakura leaned back.

"Well that was quick," she said dryly, blonde hair falling into her peripheral vision.

"Leader said I had an oral fixation," Deidara's voice rumbled behind her. "I was hoping you could do something about it."

His lips were devouring hers before they even hit the bed.

.:..:..:.

And that's it! A very long, very lemony deisaku oneshot. This was my first serious lemon and I hope it didn't disappoint! Sorry for mistakes. I'm unbeta'd and short on time. Will try to fix whatever I catch.

The trend is going to stick this way, with long oneshots with each Akatsuki member. I tried sneaking some valid plot in there, but not enough to force me into multi-chapters.

Next chapter…well, let's not spoil the surprise. Just know it'll be more sinful Akatsuki fun. Each chapter will be centralized on a specific Akatsuki character, simple and sweet.

Hope you liked it! Tell me what you think; your reviews are my eternal love~