Author's Note: Chapter two, in which Sakura starts healing Deidara. This has mild fluff, but so far, not extreme fluff. For those of you extreme fluff lovers, expect that in about... hrm... 2-3 chapters!
Hmph. I feel like I could have done better on this chapter. The dialouge seems sort of... thin. Anyway, hope you enjoy! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE REVIEW!
(I was VERY satisfied indeeeed with the number of people who reviewed in one day, eee!)
Chapter Two
The rain poured onto the ground outside, pounding the dirt into mud and the leaves into damp piles of mush.
Sakura gently set Deidara on the floor of the cave, and he groaned in agony.
It's so cold... he thought,.
"I can't heal you today," Sakura said, "I'm out of chakra or now but-"
She saw that he was shivering.
"Are you cold?" she asked.
Yes.
"No." he said.
"Lfiar." she replied, and she leaned down and wrapped them both in her winter cloak.
She straightened back up, sitting against the wall. Deidara sank into the comforting warm garment, sighing.
"So," Sakura said. "What happened?"
"I... I tried to escape for the Akatsuki." he whispered. "Because they forced me to join. So did the terrorist group before them."
"What about your art?" she asked.
"Fireworks." he said, his voice growing softer as he grew more tired. "I used to... make fireworks, un."
Art is an explosion... oh, I get it. Sakura thought.
"Just... relax. Rest." Sakura said. "I'll heal you tomorrow."
"Here?" Deidara said, unsure.
Sakura wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer.
"Here's just fine." she said, and she closed her eyes.
Deidara looked up at her face. The faint moonlight from outside shone on her face, illuminating it. Her pink hair rustled in the wind.
"Hey." Deidara said. He tugged on her shirt.
"Mmm?" she said, looking down at him.
"What's... your name?" he asked.
"Sakura." she replied.
"Cherry blossom?" he said.
"Yeah." Sakura said. "It's lame, isn't it?"
"Not at all, un." Deidara said.
Sakura blushed a little.
"Good night." she said, and she turned her head to the side and was silent.
What's going on? Deidara thought. I'm being soft. I'm completely at her mercy, but I feel safe.
He bit his lip.
No, it can't be. he thought. After all these years... what if I can...
A lump rose in his throat.
No. I'm a murderer, I killed so many people... I can't.
He fell asleep with these troubled thoughts.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sakura dreamt.
She was standing in a burnt forest, the smell of decaying wood hanging thick in the air. In the distance, standing, she saw a figure with spiky hair. His clothes rippled in the dank and musty wind, and he turned slowly towards her.
"Sasuke?" she said, cautiously taking a step forward.
He turned towards her, his face hidden in shadows.
And then he started walking away.
"Sasuke, come back!" she pleaded, running after him. But when she approached him, he faded away, and she hugged only air.
She fell to her knees, sobbing.
Even after all these years, after all this time...
She turned towards the destroyed forest, wiping her face with her sleeve...
And suddenly saw that it was green and beautiful, the trees full of lush, rustling leaves. They danced and shimmered in the soft wind.
And she saw another shape in the middle of it.
Birds flitted around him, singing. Sakura slowly stood up and walked towards him.
Everywhere she stepped, flowers sprouted from the ground, leaving behind her colorful footsteps.
She reached out to touch his shoulder...
Her hand landed on it.
It didn't fade away, it didn't leave.
And then he turned and hugged her, in a warm embrace, pulling her up towards him.
The forest exploded with light, and Sakura felt as if she was floating up, towards the fluffy white clouds that drifted by in the sky...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
And Deidara dreamt as well.
He dreamt that he was standing in a forest of cherry blossoms. Their intoxicating smell floated around him, and he reached out his hand and caught one small pink petal as it drifted by.
He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around, looking down.
He saw Sakura, standing and looking at him with a broken look on her face. Her jade eyes shone with pain, as her hesitant hand rested on his shoulder.
"Why so sad, un?" he asked her. It was like she didn't hear him.
"Hey!" he said, waving a hand in front of her face. "Hello? Anyone home?"
She stared straight through him.
He started to get a annoyed. Why wasn't she listening?
"Sakura!" he said.
His gaze slowly drifted upwards, and he saw that where the forest ended there was a barren wasteland, gray and brown.
A single tear slid down Sakura's face.
Deidara sighed.
"Why so sad, un? he repeated...,
reached down...
and embraced her.
His vision was suddenly blocked by cherry blossom petals, so many of them, whipping past his face...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
He woke up to find himself lying on the ground.
Deidara felt someone's hands sliding over his stomach, and he opened his eyes and saw her above him.
"Oh, you're awake." Sakura said. "It took you way too long, I was worried that..." she looked down. "Well, you know."
"I'm not planning on dying anytime soon, un." he said. "What are you...?"
He raised his head and saw that her hands were glowing.
"Healing you!" she said. "Hey, are you thirsty?"
Deidara suddenly realized he was parched.
"Possibly." he replied.
Sakura passed him a water bottle and he downed it eagerly.
"You drink like you haven't had water in a week!" she said
"That's not entirely false." Deidara pointed out, grinning.
"Hm." she said, concentrating.
Deidara looked up at her face, lit up by her blue glowing hands.
She has pretty hair. he thought. I want to play with it.
Wait. STOP THINKING THAT!
He looked down.
"Hey!" he shouted. Sakura's hands flickered out.
"What, what is it?" she said.
"You're wearing RED?" he said incredulously. "That doesn't match your hair!"
Sakura stared at him for a full ten seconds, her eyes meeting his accusing stare.
"Did you seriously just interrupt me to criticize me on what I wear?" she said.
"Yes." said Deidara. "Yes I did."
"I liked it better when you were whimpering on the ground."
"I was NOT whimpering, un!"
Sakura snickered. "Then what were you doing?"
"I was making perfectly manly noises of defeat!"
"Whimpering."
"No!"
Sakura's hands started glowing again and she laid them back on his stomach.
"Let me concentrate." she said, ignoring his angry ashamed glare.
"Psht. Whatever, un." he said, turning away.
"By the way, what's with this... mouth on your chest?" Sakura said, her brows furrowing.
"Wasn't that stitched up?" Deidara said.
"It licked me twice."
"Heh heh."
"IT'S NOT FUNNY, IT'S DISGUSTING!"
"It's completely funny. You're just too humorless to see- OW!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, am I HURTING you?"
"YES!"
"Oh. Well, that's just too bad."
"Stop it! Ow, ow, ow! Stop!"
"No- stop moving! Ow!"
Deidara flailed around, trying to get away from her burning hands.
"It hurts when you do that!" he shouted.
"I'm trying to save your life here!" Sakura shouted back, and she swung a punch at him. It hit him on the side of his head, and he sprawled onto the floor.
Sakura flipped him over and pinned his arms to the floor with her knees.
Deidara opened her eyes .
"I can see up your skirt, un." he said, grinning slyly.
"SHUT UP!" Sakura yelled, turning red. She sat on his stomach, hard, and put her hands on his chest.
"That hurt!" he yelled out in pain.
"Deal with it!" she grumbled.
"GGGGGEH...!" Deidara grunted, trying to push her off him. "Get off, get off!"
"Not until you're healed!" she said.
Deidara clenched his teeth as the wounds on his chest burned.
She looked down at him.
"Why the angry face?" she said crossly. "Don't you get that this is for your own good?"
Deidara suddenly breathed in sharply, a pained look crossing his face.
"Mommy! Mommy, no, I don't want to leave!"
"Don't you get that this is for your own good, Dei-dei? It's the only way you'll live-
"But I don't want to live when you're not with me! Mommy, come with me!"
"I'm... I'm sorry, Dei-dei. I can't."
"Mommy, please!"
"Just take good care of yourself, Dei-"
A ripping noise. Warm, red liquid, splattering all over him.
"MOMMYYY!"
"What's the matter?" Sakura said, her hands flickering out. "Deidara?"
"It's... nothing." Deidara said, his voice soft.
"I know when someone's in pain, Deidara. I've been trained to see it." Sakura said. "What is it?"
Deidara bit his lip.
"I hate being helpless!" he said. "I hate not having a choice."
"Sometimes," Sakura said, reaching for some bandages from her pack, "It's not your choice whether to live or not. Sometimes, other people want you to live. And you need to live for them."
She unzipped her pack and drew out a roll of cloth.
Is that it... Deidara thought... Mother?
He snapped back into reality as he felt Sakura's cool fingers brush past his back as she leaned down to fasten the bandage cloth.
When she was done, she got back up and stood.
"I can see up your skirt again." Deidara smirked.
"I think I see another wound on your shoulder."
"No you don't, un!" Deidara said quickly.
"Yes I do." Sakura said, smugly crossing her arms. "Why don't I heal it for you?"
"No, but it'll hurt!" Deidara whined.
"I know; isn't THAT convenient?" she said, and with that she sat down on him again and put her hands on his shoulder.
"Ow!" he yelped.