Summary: Tenten knew, absolutely knew, that the very moment she let Deidara escape-- she could no longer return back to her home.
Handicapped
by TenxAkatsukixTen
Disclaimer: That Moshi Kito person . Nooooooo, course I'm not jealous .
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"So what, you're going to fight me like this, yeah?"
Any other ninja of Konoha would have just ignored his words, not to be conned by the enemy. They would have brought him in; chaining him up with no way of fleeing and handing him over to the leader of their team. They would seek a promotion for handing him over, too -he was after all a member of Akatsuki. The feared, S-ranked missing-nin wanted by all five of the ninja countries. The guys who were after Naruto, who nearly killed Gaara, the Kazekage. Valuable information: the very thing that could destroy the Akatsuki -or make such a victory possible.
Deidara would have changed her ninja career for the better. He would have been the very thing that would prove the strength of the kunoichi. To prove her strength.
But he was handicapped. Handicapped! What credit would she get in fighting him now?
This wouldn't have mattered to any other ninja in their right minds, but Tenten would not do it -she could not do it. Not because of empathy or compassion, far from it. But because-
"So you capture and return me to your village and get a bonus right, un? But here I am, with no arms. You think they'll take you seriously, un? No, I was handicapped' that's what they'll say, yeah. That wouldn't be fair, would it? They'll say you were lucky, that-"
"-I only won because you were already injured. I know."
His knowing eyes pissed her off. She decided not to look at them. "So you're gonna let me go, un?" His question stopped her movements, for it wasn't at all impish. It was instead highly bemused. "I didn't think my ploy would work-"
"Idiot. Never give out your secrets to a stranger, Missing-nin-san." she shot over her shoulder, continuing her gait.
"You're the idiot, Stranger-san." A thud followed this. He obviously collapsed do to exhaustion. "So where are you going, un? You're going to leave.. me…" He said nothing after that.
She wanted so bad to just walk away and never look back at the fool that made a fool of her. However, her inability to kill him was not what she was angered at. It was the fact that her chance was passed up because her victim had no arms. Because he was crippled.
No, he won't die here. Not here. Not yet.
Dammit' She wanted to walk away, but she didn't. She couldn't. This she realized after only two steps. "Dammit it all," were the words she muttered as she returned to the fallen S-rank criminal's side, leaned his unconscious body against the tree behind him and sat by his side until he awoke.
-TenxXxAkatsukixXxTen-
"Why are you-"
"Because you owe me. Now shut up and stay still." He wanted to rebuttal, but the cool cloth against his heated forehead ceased his complaints.
But why was she helping him? A missing-nin, an enemy of both her village and allies.
"I'm helping you because you owe me an encounter. For coming before me handicapped." He raised his eyebrows at her accurate comment, pretending he wasn't just thinking that question in his head. "Oh don't give me that look. It was written all over your face."
"Ah." A very keen kunoichi she was, especially for a young one like herself.
And she was young, maybe 15 or 16 at most. Her hair was oddly did up in two buns of mahogany on the top of her head, her eyes of the same mahogany as her childish hairstyle. She wore a loose white shirt tight on her bust and burgundy hakamas firm on her hips. Some figure for a teenager.
"Are you done ogling me?" His eyes snapped to hers and the glare directed in his direction. She also held a very hard gaze. Not really what he, an overtly-handsome S-rank criminal, would expect directed towards him. Especially from a kunoichi.
"Why do you speak that way, yeah?" Deidara sat up, brushing off her hesitant hands when he swayed. His eyes caught hers again, firm and frightening even though he was the one at the disadvantage. The power of the Akatsuki-- It is frightening.
"I-I don't know what you mean." She cursed herself for stumbling over her words. This was no time to be frightened. Not when she was in the enemy's hands -non-literally. Her resolve immediately hardened.
"So-So restricted. So curt. Overwhelmed. You name it, yeah?"
She refused to fall for his words again. And yet again he was right, absolutely right. "You're kidding me," she muttered dryly.
"You act as if," he continued on as if she hadn't spoke. "You act as if…" His eyes stared her in an unnerving way, digging far to the very depths of her very soul. Perceiving things better left unknown. Discovering her secrets and leaving her bare. His eyes then narrowed. "-you have no place to go."
And she froze.
"You're crazy." Naked, she felt naked. "Don't speak of things you don't know. Things you don't understand." Her gaze was turned from his as she wet the cloth that fell whence he sat up. She rang it out, again and again, to reduce his heated gaze if not to keep hers busy.
"Coming from the teenager." He was met with a glare. Deidara chuckled, lying on his back and cushioning his head with his arms. "I'm just saying." The grin on his face was too goofy, in pale contrast to his earlier -frightening- performance.
An awkward silence followed after she placed the cloth back on his head. She wasn't too sad about that. This detonator seemed to notice things better left alone, things even she refused to face. But how long? How long did she plan to run away from herself?
"How are you-"
"So where are you planning to go after this, if you have no place to go, un?" His question was clear. Cut the act and get down to business.
"That's none of your-" Her dialect was halted when his cobalt eyes met hers.
The reason for this being herself suddenly realizing that they were too close for comfort, since when he turned on his side to face her, holding his head in his hand, their noses brushed. She let out a yelp and jumped back.
"You seem like a smart girl, then you should know that I'm intent on finding out exactly what you're hiding, yeah. No small talk."
She was quiet for a minute, but in truth, though she was impassively cleaning his bare chest, being delicately non-Tenten around the sown mouth on his chest that made her stomach clench involuntarily. Reminding her repeatedly of exactly what she was doing. She was feeling like a cornered puppy. Usually she'd just ignore all he has to say, but something within her wanted this to be known. She wanted to confide in someone, she wanted someone to pity her. And she hated it! She hated it so very much; how pathetic she was making herself feel. To rely on someone else about her personal affairs; to rely on the Akatsuki. But there was no denying it, when will she ever face her fears, doubts, and worries? When will she ever tell someone?
But the enemy? "You act as if…you have no place to go." Suddenly, her lips were moving automatically before she could stop them.
"I'm not taken seriously." Deidara peeped one eye at her curiously. She sat fiddling with her pant leg, eyes fixated on the ground before her. "They ignore me and think I'm weak." She wriggled a shoulder, trying her best to suppress a glare even he -the enemy- hadn't witnessed while battling her. "Catsing me aside and taking me for a joke. Well, sure, I have true companions, but only those few could never make up for the ones that doubt me." She watched his eyes staring at her intently, drinking her in.
"Now not saying you can't get better but your good. And, I don't know why they ignore you, you're hot. Cute face, bangin' body, good skill." He leaned back on his arms. "What else can you ask for, yeah?"
"But even my Hokage-- she told me not to compete for Anbu -something I've been waiting for since I first entered the academy." She didn't know why, but his words made her very defensive. She was suddenly on the 'I can not go back to Konoha' side and he on the other 'get over yourself, you crybaby.'
"Really? That's why you have no place to go?"
"Ugh. You just don't understand. For even the Hokage to tell me that it wasn't best for me. Not my thing, not for my power? That's not just something to close your eyes to."
"You're over exaggerating, yeah?"
It seemed she hadn't heard him. "And when my power, my techinique, my skill is the only thing I live for- to change it, to perfect it," She clenched her fist for a fractrion of a second, calming herself the moment she felt out of it. Deidara couldn't help but catch this. "I guess I really do have no place to go." Tenten stared at her hands sullenly, dreading her next words to the point where she felt bile grow in the back of her throat. "I- fight for recognition. For strength and-and power." Her eyes lowered unconsciously, possibly feeling either shy or self-conscious. She did feel, however, weak. "Konoha is…no longer my home."
"Come with me."
She was afraid. More afraid than she has ever been in her entire life. She never knew three words could stop the very beat of her heart. Please, no.
You see, after her pouring out her troubles to a stranger and enemy, she felt bad -wrong. Deidara seemed to notice this and was ready to leave in no time. Just thinking of watching his retreating back set her stomach aflame. She felt as if she would vomit, and this is just at the thought of it.
It seemed he noticed this, too. So before leaving, he said--
"I promise you we'll meet again, un. How about you gather your potential and confidence til' then, yeah?" He shot her a knowing smirk over his shoulder -a smirk she would not forget. "And who knows, I may not have your death on my hands, un."
His proclamation filled her with a delight that left her awaiting their next encounter. And she trained till then. No missions, no parties, no friends-- training. She trained alone, she honed her skills. In secret and isolated she readied herself for a scandalous battle that would set her fate.
"You win, and you get to take me in to your village, yeah?" Her eyes brightened, and her guilt evaporated into thin air. "However," her stomach then dropped at his leer. "you lose and you get a punishment far worse than death- depending on the way you take it, un." His leer widened. "Deal?"
Even though her insides feared for her very life she refused to back down. What good would her returning to Konoha be if she let the enemy escape; an enemy she would have been able to capture if she hadn't made such a scandalous decision? The very essence capable of destroying her village? So she'd lose and he'd let her go, living with the guilt of setting a handicapped criminal free. Because her own power and skill would not fight a cripple that would be far more powerful than her if he was fully recovered. She wouldn't fight that dirty. No matter the village or the people she would save. "A fool's choice." What kind of kunoichi would she be?
So she'd rather death at her defeat.
But her death would not be befitting a true kunoichi -maybe even worse than that of her mother. She would be frowned upon and her clan disgraced and obsolete. Therefore, she absolutely could not lose.
This decision she made with a missing-nin would surely dishonor her, and if it were ever found out she would be imprisoned for treachery. Making a decision as such on her own would be a scandal to her village. "Idiocy! Shortening the village one less a great kunoichi while letting a valuable enemy escape! How is that short of betrayal?" Were words that haunted her and made her weak. And that weakness drove on hate. Hate for the loss of battle, hate for her own weakness. And fear, oh so much fear.
And she used all this during her training, so much to a point she feared she would seem suicidal to anyone observing.
But she could not back down! For her family, her clan-- her mother, her power. Her pride! Gomen. I'm so sorry.
All that said… "Deal." She could not refuse.
Yes, Tenten was a traitor the moment she let Deidara escape.
So that brings us here, to that very scandalous battle between two second time acquaintances. It was after multiple downs that Tenten finally could no longer move her legs, so she could no longer fight. She would die. No- a punishment far worse than death.
Betraying her own village.
You see, at first, instead of returning she would have just deserted the village after whatever punishment Missing-nin-san had in store for her. Live somewhere else and start a new life. That was the plan before Deidara even gave her that offer. And being a capable kunoichi that believed in her own skill-- she took it.
And now this happens. "Come with me, Stranger-san."
What was she thinking in the first place? This is an S-rank criminal capable of capturing the Kazekage and killing the Tsuchikage of his own village. Did she really believe she could defeat him?
"You," she lifted her head from the dirt to glance at his approaching figure. His expression was oddly morose. "fought excellently, un. Not once hesitation. Not one indecision to take my life the very moment you had the chance. That isn't the way of the ninja of Konoha, yeah? No flicker of weakness, no doubt." He crouched before her, taking her chin in his hand to observe her still hardened gaze. Even in defeat. "I couldn't possibly destroy such splendor in such a mediocre way, un."
Tenten's eyes widened as she jerked away forcefully, her face going back in the dirt. She tried her best to speak, but only horse gasps came. "Oh no, I won't kill you, un. You won't meet your end here." The glimmer in his eyes frightened her-- terrified her to a point where she could no longer move -not a twitch.
Yes, his declaration was far worse than death.
"So come with me." Following this was her body being whisked up in his arms. "This'll be your punishment, yeah? For betraying your village and letting the wanted enemy go. You'll thank me, un."
And then there was darkness.
Before her consciousness even came, it was cursing her. With the pain of her body and heart. The neglect and hatred she would recieve from her comrades once they find out the truth. And this was her punishment. A punishment far worse than death.
But Tenten was never one to back down from a promise of battle to prove her strength. That was her nindo-- her ninja way.
The first thing she saw was white. She smelled smoke and tasted iron. "Ah, you're awake."
And met the 10 figures that would now become her new comrades.
"The mission was successful, Deidara." Her head snapped in the direction of a bright yellow blur not too far from where she lay. What? "From the very beginning, his job was to pursue and capture you." What?! "Everything went all according to plan."
"What?"
"So what, you're going to fight a handicap, yeah?"
"So you capture and return me to your village and get a bonus, un? But here I am, with no arms."
"So you're gonna let me go?"
"You're the idiot, Stranger-san"
"You're going to leave.. me…?"
"So where are you planning to go after this, if you have no place to go, un?"
"W-What do you mean?"
"I don't know why they ignore you, you're hot."
"Really? That's why you have no place to go?" "You're over exaggerating, yeah?"
"Come with me, yeah?"
"Wh-what?…" 'You act as if… "are you talking about?"
…You have no place to go.'
"Hmph. It was all fake from the start, kid. I had my arms the entire time." "Look! I got my arms back!- just for you." "No hard feelings, ne?"
Her head sagged, overshadowing her eyes were her bangs. "Teme…" Deidara's raising eyebrows were the only signs of his attention. The twitching of his cheek the only signs of his mistruth. That's not it at all!
"First you must break her, Deidara. If you want her here-- break her heart." His stomach sank to his feet. "Only then will your debt be paid."
Deidara scoffed. Leader-sama is one sick bitch.
"You…" It happened so fast he barely caught it all with his own eyes. "bastard!" No one held her back, because this was the Akatsuki after all.
Deidara decided not to fight back, she had no weapons in her possession anyway. Or so he thought…
When a glimmer of silver flickered in her hand, he gripped her wrist before his life was at stake of senbon. Still, the stab of a dagger was poking him in the hip. Her entire reaction was a distraction from the beginning. The senbon and the dagger played the same role. If he noticed the dagger first, then she would have used it as a distraction instead of the needles. Well played.
Leader-sama was smart, but he didn't know everything, and even Deidara knew that Tenten wouldn't be broken so easily.
But that still caused her to dislike this shinobi.
"Ack!"
"Playing with a stunned kunoichi is dangerous, Missing-nin-san."
"It's Deidara, un."
"Who cares." She jerked the dagger from his flesh unceremoniously.
A ninja must never show their weakness. Which is why Deidara excepted such a request instead of complained, which is why he stood here now like he could care less and smiled in her face as he deceived her. It was why Tenten blamed her redemption on the opportunity of fighting him again, and not compassion for the man that stole her heart. Why she acted on instinct and held in her tears, why she attacked him with a weapon instead of crying in his chest.
It was why the Akatsuki have yet to realize the two true feelings for each other.
"You should know you can not leave this underground." Tenten worked on ignoring the bipolar Venus flytrap. "Your life is ours, kunoichi."
"Don't underestimate me, shinobi."
"Keh. Feisty one we have here. Eh, Kakuzu?"
"Mm."
"Aa."
"Very interesting." Churiko cackled
"Teh. What you'd expect from a kunoichi." Kisame got a senbon to the fin for that one.
"…" Pein was never one to participate in/with the silly dealings of his companions.
"…" And Konan was right behind him.
"Konichiwa, Ten-ten-chan!"
The kunoichi was astonished for a mere second and was then on the ground. Her dagger was expertly dodged when she instinctively struck out at him.
"Ah, she won't get Tobi." This challenge drove her to get him. To Kill him.
Oh, no, wait, that was his idiotic tendencies that drove her to do that. The senbon were forgotten, but before they could pierce his shoulder, he disappeared.
"Woo!" He was behind Deidara, leaning on the glaring man's shoulder exhaustedly. "she almost got me there."
"Very interesting."
She found her eye twitching. These guys-- are weird. Then something else caught her attention: The conversation between three certain Akatsuki members.
"You were right, not a glimmer of hesitation."
"Deadly precision."
"Yeah, she's a work of art isn't she?"
Tenten really didn't know why, but his words made her blush to the tips of her toes. Her stomach flipped, her heart jumped. She realized this was the first time she was ever complimented in such a way. Often times Neji complimented her precision, Lee and Gai-sensei complimenting her determination and endurance. But never this way, so her school girl act was bypassed as expected.
Though she was pulled from the conversation with her adolescent thoughts, it wasn't over.
"I'm right here, stop discussing me."
-TenxXxAkatsukixXxTen-
"You should be thankful." Deidara refrained from looking her way, continuing to stitch up his sleeve. She stood a few feet away from the chair that he settled in a half hour ago, fiddling with the end sleeves of her new uniform.
"Why the hell would I be thankful? You took me from my village."
"As if you didn't want to leave anyway. I saved you in kidnapping you so you won't be such a burden. Stop your complaining."
Her rebuttal was once again silenced with his truth. "Tch." She settled with falling down to Indian style and meditating all the days poverty away.
It was true, and she didn't quite think of it the way Deidara presented. So maybe she wouldn't be considered traitor, for she was kidnapped. Or so everyone would think. Before she met with Deidara the second time, the one known as Zetsu appeared in her room and roused around as there was a mini-fight between the two. This encounter she hesitated to really injure the man. 'Yeah, sure she and Deidara made plans, but that wasn't like they were acquaintances and she couldn't scuffle with his buddies.' She made herself a fool when Zetsu mentioned this before molding into the wall and disappearing.
So he knew? She was such an idiot. She should have realized it earlier. This Akatsuki made a fool of her and expected her to become their next newcomer and soon to be comrade? As if she'd willingly reside with these sick bastards. Every last one. Every last of these suiciadal/psychotic missin-nin; and exactly where does she fit into all this? Bringing her back to the question: Why did they kidnap me? Or more like, why did they kidnap me?
"Hey…" He didn't turn around, but the twitching in his cheek confirmed his awareness. "I have a question that you may or may not be able to answer, so-"
"Don't ask, un."
"This Madara guy..-"
"I said don't ask!" A slam against the desk before him halted her speech. He stood and stalked over to the place on the floor she was perched. Dropping down Indian style before her, he braced a hand on his knee and scratching his head with the other- his eyes lie closed with a irritated expression flitting his face. She never knew he could look so-so... so manly. "You don't need to know that, un."
Her eyes narrowed. "If you want me as a comrade, Deidara, you'd tell me." Growing up the traditional Japanese fashion, he felt offended at her choice at name.
He knew he'd regret this. "He's dead, your people killed him, un."
"Then why am I here, if he was the one who ordered you to do this? You made that promise to me 2 years ago. What do guys plan to do without a leader anyway?"
He glanced at the ceiling, scratching the back of his neck, then realized what he was doing and how dobe it seemed and fisted his hand. "We are an annihilation organization, or what everyone once thought. That's what we're doing. And as for you…" His eyes bored into hers until she realized she could not look away. "You're here for me."
And fear resurfaced. She hid a shudder and gulped lightly. "What?-"
"You don't need to ask anymore questions now. Why don you meet the family, yeah?" Deidara stood after shooting her a sickening leer and walked out, leaving her in his room with a click of the door and the scent of his smell.
"He's insane." Was the only way she could ignore the signs and settle the rhythm of her heart. "Not much different from myself."
Tenten left his room before looking around and remembering its contents and location; then she went on dejectedly to meet the family.
Awesome isn't it? I like this onsie, what do you think? Please tell me! I wanted it to be TentenxAkatsuki, but feared no one would read since there's only one of those whereas TentenxDeidara has 3 PAGES!-- And yes I believed she'd be the best kunoichi to join this awesome group of poor manipulated S-rank ninja/criminals. Don't hate them people! They're confused, over powerful/overwhelmed ninjas trying to find their way in this forsaken world. If Madara hadn't caught them all at such critical times they wouldn't be so horrible an antagonist.
Oh! Please don't flame me for keeping Tobi alive and killing Madara, let's leave logic for a minute -including the fact that all Akatsuki members are alive here- and go with it, ne? Akatsuki needs a character like Tobi to set things, especially in the oc/crack/humor way I've suddenly adopted. Yes, oc, but not immensely because I love all their characters, just enough to make you laugh… I guess… I'm not really funny.
Such oc including: Our own Akatsuki
Oc: A Blind Itachi; A Depressed/lazy Pein; An Emo/possessive Konan; A lovesick Deidara; A jealous Sasori; An overexcited Tobi; and a random Zetsu. Kisame, Kakuzu, and Hidan will be pretty much the same, albeit hilarious ^^ They're the main ones!
Theme: Akatsuki behind the scenes- no, hideout. The Akatsuki are not what they seem.
It's based on Tenten's capture for Deidara's sake and how she slowly, but surely changed them all without them noticing -they changed her too^^. It's written as one-shots, but they all happened and most likely in order- why I made an entirely new profile ^^-this one being the very first story.
So sit back and enjoy this series of TentenxAkatsuki/Deidara story/one-shot with salty ass popcorn and Diet Coke! You'll love it!
Please Review this and send it back to me about things you wanna see. There can be camaraderie couples you'd like me to write about, but not romantically unless it's with Deidara -it'll mess up the balance of this story-one-shot otherwise.
(Maybe this should have been in a separate chapter?) Anyways! Send me your thoughts! I'd appreciate it!
Yonne- No, -sorry it's a habit- my new name is TenxAkatsukixTen, get it? Ten as in how many members in Akatsuki then Ten for Tenten, plus its there twice. Get it? Whatev!
TenxAkatsukixTen out!