Tobi woke up next morning, sun pouring down on his face, and on his sempai's. Deidara's hair was glittering gold, falling gracefully over his still closed eyes. His handsome features were stressed in ache, and he was shivering. Tobi put the back of his hand on his sempai's cheek; he was still burning. Blood had been spilled from his mouth during the night, a few drops pouring from his upper lip. Tobi's heart broke. He knew Deidara-sempai was a proud man and that he'd never let his sufferance show if he could help it. However, this wasn't a mere disease; Deidara was agonizing right here, right now, and nothing Tobi could do would help him.
Sighing, Tobi went to take a quick shower and hurried to the now full kitchen to bring back breakfast to his partner. Filling two bowls with rice and eggs, he heard sniggering behind him.
Hidan was watching him in glee, which coming from the immortal could only mean trouble.
"I heard the fucking taboo was over. How's the blond bitch doing?" Pein looked embarrassed, her cheeks blushing. Every other Akatsuki shifted uncomfortably in their seats; apparently Hidan's idea of a joke didn't have the attended effect.
"Oh, come on, shit! We all new Ladyboy wouldn't last long, and mind you, this whore will die of infection like she should!" Tobi put the tray on the kitchen table and walked silently towards Hidan, who was now positively laughing out loud, stopping only when Tobi had arrived in front of him. He sneered, looking up at the masked man.
"What's the matter, ass-hole? Afraid for your girlfriend? Mind you, I understand; I would've liked to have a fuck with her before risking catching a disease, not that I-"
Tobi hit Hidan in the face, concentrating all his chakra in his fist. The immortal had been thrown of his seat with the impact of the punch, his face now bloody. Kakuzu had ran to hold him back to prevent things from turning ugly; Hidan was already starting to scream a variety of well imagined insults at his assailant. Tobi calmly returned to pick up the tray he had prepared, adding two cups of tea, ignoring the other members gazes and gasps. Zetsu's eyes followed him out of the room.
Back into the room, Tobi was now trying to feed Deidara against his will. The latter's state seemed to have worsened: his skin was clammy, his face immaculate with sweat, his breathes turning into pants… He had shut his mouth closed and kept swinging his head feebly from one side to another, too tired to chew and swallow. Abandoning all hopes, Tobi tried instead to make him drink his tea, assisting him by cradling his head and placing the cup at his lips, carefully dipping its content in Deidara's now ajar mouth, leaving him time to swallow the small sips.
He hadn't given him a third of the contents when his sempai fell asleep in his arms. He laid him back on his pillows when he heard knocking. Without waiting for an answer, the person at the door entered and came at the side of the now attached beds.
"Zetsu-san?" Tobi was confused; never had the plant man shown any interest for him, or Deidara. Zetsu was watching Deidara thoughtfully. After a short moment, he turned his face towards Tobi.
"Tobi. Deidara has a serious case of pneumonia. Lung infection." Tobi nodded.
"Kakuzu has tried various types of remedies on him, but nothing had seemed to work. The bacteria have developed some kind of resistance." Zetsu's gaze was impassive and his tone monotonous. He appeared barely concerned. "However, there might be a way to cure him."
Tobi stood up and grabbed fistfuls of Zetsu's cloak. "Zetsu-san knows how to make sempai better?" the first man asked in a pleading tone. Zetsu coldly pushed Tobi off him.
"Are you ready to do anything to save your sempai?"
"Anything", replied Tobi immediately. Zetsu's lips curled a little.
"Tobi, after Sasori's death, elder Chiyo had been able to revive the jinchuriki's receptacle by using a spell. This spell, however, is a forbidden technique that uses the curer's vital energy to revive anyone, and anything. Chiyo was the only person to ever use this spell, but has used it in front of a Konoha kunoichi. We think she's been able to decipher its functioning; she's said to be very skilled, being Tsunade's student."
"So Tobi must …find the girl? But Tobi can't go all the way to Konoha and leave his sempai in this state!" Tobi whined.
"I'm willing to take care of him. Konan's okay with it too. But we have to put on a few rules: first, the girl mustn't know where she is, geographically speaking. Then, we might have to get rid of her under certain circumstances… Not if the first rule is strictly respected, of course."
Tobi hesitated: he wasn't keen on having to kill the person who would help him save his sempai, but then again this was a matter of life or death of the person he cared for above all.
"Tobi wants to set one thing straight: you will have to take care of her afterwards" Tobi finally stated after thinking the whole thing through.
"What do you mean?" Zetsu asked, perplexed.
"Tobi is going to learn the spell from the kunoichi to save Deidara-sempai."
Once again alone with his sempai, Tobi finished packing his rucksack. He sat onto the bed, sliding his mask away from his face. Deidara wasn't fast asleep anymore, but still a little groggy. The vision of Tobi's bare face brought him back to consciousness.
"Why…Cough cough... why are you… leaving… Tobi… Cough" Deidara's disappointment was evident in his question.
"Tobi is going to find someone to save sempai" Tobi answered in a quiet voice. It hurt to abandon his sempai for several days, but he knew some sacrifices were to be made in order to save his life. Deidara smiled, a smile that seemed to lighten up his whole face.
"Tobi, I …appreciate your help… but…Cough … there's nothing… nothing you can do… to save…save me… Cough cough…"
"Tobi found a way… Tobi promises to save sempai…"
"Tobi… don't make promises you can't keep… Cough cough…" Deidara's voice had a harsh quality to it, but his gaze was as tender as could be. "But… if you must… if you go away… promise me… not to feel guilty… whatever… whatever happens… Cough cough…"
"Sempai…" Tobi leaned over Deidara, one leg on each side of him. He had taken his shirt off and was now pulling off the covers from Deidara. The blonde wrapped his arms around the young Uchiha, pulling him tight. Tobi closed the space between their lips and slowly slipped into Deidara's mouth. Their tongues rolled passionately while their gazes locked on each other. Tobi drowned himself in parcels of sky, while Deidara was lost in the enigma of the sharingan. The tongues on his palms were once again licking their way down Tobi's back, but couldn't slither under his pants. Tobi hurriedly unbuttoned them single-handedly before sliding his own hands upon Deidara's hip bones, which he grabbed before massaging the lower part his thumbs. Deidara started to pant, worrying Tobi in process.
"Sempai, are you sure…" Tobi started breathlessly.
"Tobi… if ever you stop… I swear… I'll make you… swallow ten pounds… of C4…" This meant business.
Deidara's hands were cupping Tobi's butt, rubbing it in small circles. Tobi took this as his cue, and positioned himself between his sempai's legs. He brought his fingers to the other man's mouth and let him suck his fingers hungrily. Deidara lapped and bit, his excitement visible. He groaned when Tobi retrieved his now saliva covered digits, expectance in his eyes. Tobi grinned mischievously before pointing two fingers at the blonde's entrance, carefully sliding through. Deidara gasped, throwing back his head. Tobi added a finger; his sempai whimpered. And another one; he gripped the young man's black hair. Tobi felt his mate growing hard against him; taking out his fingers, he carried the white legs to his hips and faced his partner.
"Ready, sempai?" he whispered.
"Ready as you are… un…"
Tobi thrust in, making his sempai slam his head back on the bed. Deidara felt as though his symptoms had intensified; they were becoming more sophisticated, more bearable. His ragged breathing had turned into moans and pants; his raw pain had transformed into a delicious torture; his fever had evolved to a pleasurably warm sensation in his very core. Tobi was not resting one bit: he rhythmically propelled himself into Deidara with all his might. He was drenched in his own sweat, near exhaustion, but still grinning down to his lover.
"Enjoying… yourself… Sempai….?" He asked in a breathless voice.
"Un… Tobi… You're so… damn… close…Un… un..." Deidara closed his eyes and tilted his head. He wasn't going to last long, and he knew it. Tobi gathered up his remaining strength and forced himself mercilessly into the tight and comfortable warmth of his partner. Deidara bucked up in a convulsive way, crying out loud.
"Un… Tobi… Tobi… TOBI… UN… UN… TOBI!!"
Deidara came, white sticky cum splattering onto Tobi's abdomen. The sight of the blonde screaming and nearly fainting was just what the black-haired needed to reach his own orgasm.
Heavenly exhausted. Tobi collapsed onto the already unconscious Deidara. His eyes closed lazily, and he shifted onto his sempai's side, turning the latter in order to hold him into a delicate hug. After a last soft kiss, he let his head fall lightly into golden locks, and allowed himself to doze off.
There will be a time to go… Now was the time to love.
