Author's Note: I can't BELIEVE I'm writing yet ANOTHER Naruto fanfiction, heh!
Naruto: Well, Believe It!
Me: Shut up. Now then, I am planning on continuing this story. It is DeiSaku! There is much fluff. There is much sadism towards these poor characters on my part. This story just sort of sprang out of nowhere, but I have a pretty good idea of what I want the plot to be. Oh, and by the way, I am KNOWN for my fast updating! Usually, of course. There are some exceptions.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I'm not going to hold the story ransom for reviews, but they encourage me, yay! PLEASE I WUV REVIEWS.
Critique is much appreciated, and desired!
EEENJOY. Oh, and I don't own Naruto. If I did, DeiSaku would already have happened ages ago, lol!
Chapter One
The dark shape darted through the trees. The night was pitch black, the stars were out and shining.
And Deidara was running for his life.
He gritted his teeth as he felt the pain rip through his side. There was a long gash cut into it, and he clutched with trembling fingers. Blood ran through them.
He heard dogs barking behind him, and silent tears streamed from his eyes.
It's over.
He felt his breath leaving him, waves of nausea breaking over him as sweat beaded on his face. The wind cooled him, and he breathed deeply, fearing they would be his very last.
Why did I try to escape?
No more clay, no more knives, no more chakra. He was all out of weapons. All out of time.
All out of hope.
The barking of the dogs grew louder still. He heard voices.
"Come back here! You're not gonna escape, boy!"
Something cut into his back. Deidara choked back a scream as he ran.
Why am I still running? he thought.
I'm so stupid.
He tripped suddenly, falling sprawled onto the ground.
So helpless.
He dragged himself through the fallen leaves on the forest floor, his muscles burning.
So weak.
He let out a scream, a howl of pure and utter defeat. Remorse.
And alone.
When he started to try and pick himself up off the ground, he felt a heavy foot thump onto his back. His arms collapsed beneath him, and he lay trembling on the ground.
"What should we do with him?" he heard.
"Kill him."
Deidara tensed.
No.
He struggled.
"Stop squirming." his captor muttered. "It's just like falling asleep."
"No... please, stop, un!" Deidara sobbed.
The man ignored him. Deidara felt his fingers on his neck, lightly brushing aside his blonde hair.
The ponytail fell beside his head.
"I'll make it quick."
Deidara heard the whoosh of air as the man raised his katana.
"Stop!" he heard.
He sucked in a breath. The swift blow of the sword didn't come.
"What?" said the man above him. "Can't you see I have business to do?"
"Yes." said the other voice. "But don't you want to... play with him first?"
Deidara's eyes filled with tears at the sheer unfairness of it all.
I never asked to be part of the Akatsuki.
I've never wanted to kill anyone.
This life was forced onto me. I'm worthless, even more so now. Just some 'business' the Akatsuki have to take care of. Already dead, for all they care.
But If I hadn't tried to escape the Akatsuki base a week ago... I would still have many regrets.
But now I want to live.
I don't understand.
Why do I want to live?
"I want to live." he cried pitifully, his voice soft. "I want to live, I want to live, please, I want to live..."
"Aw, come on." said the man. "You already played with a bunch of people. Do you really have to?"
The other voice chuckled.
"You want to live, don't you?" it said. "Heh. Silly boy. You don't have a choice."
He turned to address the man with his foot planted firmly on the former Akatsuki's back.
"Fine. Just kill him."
Deidara heard the sword go up.
No.
He suddenly wrenched himself face up and kicked upwards.
"OW!" the man shouted. The sword dropped from his hand.
And Deidara ran, ran like the wind without looking back.
The branches whipped into him, setting all the week-old wounds on himself on fire.
But his triumph was short lived. Something hard pierced him, something long and hard.
He choked on his own blood as he collapsed.
Something planted itself on his back again, a foot. But this time, it was heavier.
"Maybe," said the voice above him, "I should just let the dogs rip you apart. Wouldn't that be nice?"
The sobs tore themselves from Deidara's throat. He couldn't hold them back any longer.
What was the point if he did, anyway?
"Nah." said the voice. "I think I'll just kill you slowly with my sword. How does that sound?"
Deidara squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his teeth. He felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Something sharp and cold sliced into his back-
"RUN!" said a voice.
The dogs went insane, barking their heads off in a horrible symphony of anger.
"We don't stand a chance-"
"They're coming-"
"Ninjas-"
"Wait!" said a voice, breaking through all the rest. "What about the boy?"
"Leave him, he'll die soon anyway!"
And just like that, the foot was off and all that remained of the men who had stood around him were the footsteps fading away in the distance.
Deidara tried to get up.
He couldn't.
And then he heard footsteps coming closer. Only... lighter. And from the opposite direction.
He lay on the ground, his life bleeding out of him.
I'm just like... a sack. he decided dejectedly. I can't move.
With his remaining energy, he curled up, on the ground.
His stomach turned and he gagged, heaving dryly. He hadn't eaten much in the past few days.
Suddenly, he heard someone, or many someones crash through the trees nearby.
"I swore I heard something around here!"
"You hear a lot of things, Naruto."
"More than YOU heard, Sakura!"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"
"Eheheh, nothing!"
"That's what I thought."
"Sakura... I want to go back. I'm hungry. I want ramen!"
"Fine. Go eat. I'll finish looking in this area and go home too."
"See ya!"
He heard someone darting away through the forest.
And footsteps.
Sakura. he thought. The one who defeated Sasori?
No way. Ugh, I'm dead. Even more now.
Unless she doesn't find me.
He tried to lie as still as possible. Which really wasn't too hard, given his current condition.
No such luck. The footsteps grew nearer and nearer...
Sakura gasped.
There, in front of her, was... a dead body.
She slowly walked around it, until she found the face.
Deidara! she thought. He's dead? But who did it? When?
Suddenly, she saw one of his fingers move. She leapt back, drawing two slick kunai.
"Are you alive?" she asked sharply. "Answer me!"
The only noise heard was the birds in the trees.
And then-
His eyes opened. His chest went up and down quickly as he tried to gain his breath back.
He's alive. she thought.
She saw him tense as he saw her so close.
She saw the tears on his face.
A murderer crying. How odd. she thought, her eyes cold.
She swung a foot at him and kicked him in the stomach.
He let out a soft cry and tried to pull away.
"Go away." he said. "Please, go away."
He's not wearing Akatsuki robes. Or his headband. Or his ring.
That's odd.
He was shaking, his blood slowly feeding the ground beneath him.
"Why should I?" she said.
"Please, just let me die." he said, his voice hoarse. "I want to live, but dying will have to do, un."
"What are you talking about?" she said. "Why shouldn't I just kill you right now?"
Deidara coughed, and dark crimson splattered onto Sakura's shoes.
His hand tightened on a handful of leaves as his stomach twisted.
Sakura's compassion won over her need for revenge.
But she didn't show it, of course. That would be a weakness.
"Who did this? What happened?" she said. "You have thirty seconds to talk. Go."
Deidara bit his lip, angry and ashamed. Now he had to bow to the demands of some stupid kunoichi to live.
"I tried... to escape..." he said.
"Twenty-nine." Sakura said menacingly. "Twenty-eight. Twenty-seven."
"From Akatsuki." he finished. "Please, I can't talk... much... I just need more time, please...!"
He broke into soft crying, his shoulders shaking.
Sakura's heart throbbed, and she felt a big hole of guilt open up in her chest.
She sank slowly to her knees before Deidara.
Deidara shrank back, the tattered remains of his shirt ripping on the bloody ground.
"No, it's okay." she said. "I'm not going to hurt you, I'm sorry."
Deidara swallowed hard, deciding whether or not to trust her.
I don't really have a choice, do I? he thought.
"It's over, you're safe now." she said.
He suddenly felt her cool hand on his bare shoulder.
She's going to kill me! he thought, panicking.
Sakura jumped as Deidara started thrashing around, his limbs flailing.
"Stop!" she shouted. A foot smacked into her stomach and she doubled over.
She gritted her teeth and launched herself onto him, holding him down with her strength. Her knees dug into the ground on either side of him. She gripped his shoulders and slammed him into the ground, pinning him there.
"Stop moving, you're going to bleed yourself out, understand?" she said.
He struggled beneath her, eyes shut tight.
"Do you want to die?" she shouted. "Look at me!"
He stopped moving, opening his eyes. Bright blue, confused, sad eyes. Their gaze pierced hers.
"Don't kill me, un, please!" he pleaded. "You don't gain anything from killing me, I-"
"I... I won't." she said.
Deidara looked up at her in tired surprise.
She leaned down and wrapped her arms around him, and then she straightened back into a kneeling position, wrapping her winter cloak around him.
Deidara shivered as he felt the warmth of her body radiating out from her like a furnace.
I'm so cold. he thought.
And she's so warm.
He snuggled into her. The cold started fading from him.
Sakura kneeled there with him for a while, until a drop of rain fell wetly onto her head.
Uh-oh. Wasn't there going to be a big storm tonight?
I can't move him around too much in his current state anyway.
Oh well.
She took her walkie-talkie and pressed the button. She spoke into it softly, as to not disturb the sleeping Deidara burrowed into her chest.
"Naruto." she said.
"Mourmf!" she heard. "Mf mrgm-"
"First swallow the ramen." she said. "Then talk."
There was a long silence as Naruto chewed and swallowed as fast as he could.
"Sakura!" he said. "Sakura, hey, are you coming back-?"
"Naruto." she said. The hand unoccupied by the walkie-talkie played with Deidara's long blonde hair.
"How does he keep it so soft?" she wondered aloud.
"What?" said Naruto, confused.
Deidara smiled.
"Conditioner." he whispered, grinning.
Sakura blushed to the roots of her hair.
"Sakura, are you coming-?"
"Naruto," she said, holding the walkie talkie between her shoulder and her ear as she braided Deidara's silky hair. "I don't think I'm coming back today. Maybe even not tomorrow."
"What? Why?" Naruto questioned.
"I have something I've gotta do." she said. "Something... I've got to take care of."
"Oh. Okay." said Naruto. "Well, come back as soon as Mrmfmg!"
"Have fun eating your ramen." she said dryly. "Bye."
She slid the device back into her pack.
It was drizzling now, but the large black cloud in the sky warned of a bigger storm to come.
"Okay, now I'm going to stand up." she said. "Can you walk?"
"I don't know, un." Deidara said.
"Don't resist, I'm going to carry you." she said, and then she swept his legs off the ground, cradling him in her arms.
As she stood up, she felt something small, warm and damp flick over her skin, around her midriff-
"WHAT THE HECK?" she shouted.
Deidara chuckled.
"Oops. My bad, un." he said, smirking.
"You lick me again," Sakura grumbled, "And I will make you wish you'd never had mouths on your hands."
She walked, looking for the nearest cave or shelter.
"Wait." Deidara said.
"What?" she answered, ducking under a tree branch.
"Why are you helping me?" he asked.
Sakura blinked and looked down at him.
"Because you're in need." she said, and looked back up again.
"What does that have to do with anything?" he said. "Why did you help me?"
"Because I can." she said.
"I don't understand, un." he said.
"You don't have to." Sakura murmured. "Just rest."
She spotted a cave from afar and headed towards it.
"I don't trust you, un." Deidara said.
"Good for you, then." she said.
The rain was definitely getting stronger now, the drops of rain bouncing off her waterproof winter cloak.
Deidara opened his mouth,
"I still don't trust-"
She grabbed his head and buried it in her chest, too tired to answer any more questions or explain anything more to anyone.
She ignored his muffled complaints as she ducked into the cave.