Author's Note: Here is the third chapter of Toxic, which I have revised on June 17. Thank you to all my readers who have followed and favorited this story, and to my reviewers: Akatsuki Wolf Rider, Sululululu1, Dawn Summer, and hasadada6. Your feedback is immensely appreciated! Akatsuki Wolf Rider, a special thanks to you for reviewing the original third chapter.


Chapter 3: Marked


{Part I}

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"I will give you the independence you so desperately desire."

Aiko stopped fighting against Yura. Her fright and outrage vanished, and were replaced by surprise. She looked up at Sasori. "My independence?" Although his offer had stunned her into silence, her mind cranked into overdrive. Working as an informant would allow her to infiltrate multiple villages and their archives. She could research eye conditions as much as she wanted and find a cure for the Ketsuekigan before her sight deteriorated.

Her eagerness immediately put her on guard, however, and Aiko lowered her eyes.

Could she forsake her comrades so easily? Her lips formed a grim, unflinching line. Her disloyalty worried her less than the intentions of the shinobi who stood before her, powerful and imposing, able to discern her motives. How did Sasori know about what she wanted? Clearly, he had already hired an adept informant. Glaring at his grotesque face, her enthusiasm cooled into suspicion. Aiko refused to be manipulated by this man.

Sasori sensed her resilience. "As part of my offer, I'll even be kind enough to fake your death, to get Iwagakure off your back." His voice sharpened to a threatening point. "But you'll get nothing more, girl."

His tone had already worn thin, indicating a temperamental personality, and Aiko stiffened. She was at his mercy, and Sasori would not wait for her answer. She needed to make a quick decision. Yura tightened his headlock and forced the bottom of his hand into her spine, grinding his bone against hers. Aiko bowed forward. The sun arced over the desert, bearing down on her bent form, which had little will left to fight. Whether she liked it or not, she was running out of time.

Aiko locked eyes with Sasori. "What are my responsibilities, then?"

Sasori replied, "I want you to find someone for me." He assessed her through the stare of Hiruko, which gnashed its teeth, human flesh stretched to its limits. "And, as long as you obey my commands, I couldn't care less about what else you do."

Aiko nodded, fidgeting in the arms of her captor, who refused to loosen his grasp. "Give me a time frame—number of years—that you'll employ me."

"Two to four."

Under the shadows of her wary eyelashes, Aiko inquired, "What happens when you end my employment?" Her stare, violet and restless, flickered with unabashed, morbid curiosity. "Will you try to kill me?"

Sasori crinkled his nose. Her curiosities were getting on his nerves. "When I end your employment, you are no longer obligated to serve me—simple as that. However," he craned his cruel head, bloodshot eyes bulging in their sockets, "if you run your mouth about me or my organization, you will pay dearly." Aiko tensed. Sasori unfurled his poisoned scorpion tail against the bridge, impatience rising as they deliberated in the blistering desert inferno.

Despite the circumstances, Aiko was composed. If she played her cards right, she knew that she could escape.

Veiling her intentions with heavy eyelids, Aiko murmured, "Understood."

Sasori jerked the head of Hiruko at Yura, signaling that the Sunagakure captain should release Aiko, and wheeled Hiruko toward the bridge. Yura obeyed his command, and Aiko haughtily tore away from his grasp. Grateful to get off her knees, which had been scraped raw on the rough sand, the kunoichi stood. She deactivated her Ketsuekigan with a single hand sign. The marks receded into her pupils, irises returning to their natural green color, and she blinked until her sight returned to normal.

Lifting her backpack off the ground, Aiko trailed after Sasori and Yura, and realized that she was probably in trouble.

She really should have listened to Izumo.

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{Part II}

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When night befell the travelers, they had reached a crossroads.

Aiko remained behind the two men who stopped at the intersection. Desert winds swirled, and wild coyotes howled into the vortex of stars. Yura tightened his cloak, which flapped over his gaunt body, and flicked his glittering black eyes at Aiko. Although she felt the weight of his stare, she did not dignify it with a glance or spoken response. Yura suspected that the kunoichi had no intentions of aligning herself with Sasori, and this concerned him. Before departing, he dropped a surreptitious murmur to his superior. "Lord Sasori, may I have a word with you?"

Sasori responded irritably. "What is it?"

Yura straightened his spine, upright and stern while he conveyed his thoughts. "I can find you a better subordinate. An obedient one. Besides," he lowered his voice, "we cannot trust the person who told you about her, and finding that man is—"

Sasori twitched, and the slight movement tightened the brow of Hiruko, which menaced Yura with a hostile glower. "You're wasting my time. My partner is waiting for me, and I hate making people wait. Girl!" Sasori barked at Aiko. She begrudgingly approached him, cringing when she neared his grotesque face; he was uglier than sin. She masked her distaste with indifference. Sasori jerked the head of Hiruko in her direction. "Relinquish your headband."

Aiko reached into her backpack and withdrew her forehead protector, folding the black fabric under the untarnished silver plate; she had never worn it in battle.

Yura snatched the headband from her hands.

Sasori relayed his final instructions. "Attach that headband to a message for the Hokage. As far as he's concerned, Aiko is dead."

Bitter and troubled, Yura bowed. "It will be done, Lord Sasori." When the Sunagakure captain turned onto a different road, Aiko goaded him with a tilt of her delicate eyebrows. His expression darkened, and Aiko contented herself with his irritation. Taking her place beside Sasori, she no longer looked at the Sunagakure captain. Yura heard the howl of the wild coyotes again and peered across the sloping landscape, stalking quietly down the path. He clenched his teeth.

When he turned back to view the crossroads, Sasori and Aiko had vanished.

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{Part III}

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Maneuvering his hunchback body across the bruised dunes, Sasori pulled his strings in silence. He was intent on meeting Deidara before dawn. The clouds that had darkened the sky were starting to disperse, and the puppeteer glanced at his companion. After her bravado on the bridge, Sasori had expected Aiko to be more talkative. Instead, she focused on their path, gaze stretched across the desert, limbs fueled by her determination to reach their destination. Sasori pulled forward to match her energetic gait.

Moonlight filled his wide furrow and trickled into her footprints. Despite her treacherous intentions, Aiko would not disobey Sasori yet. Escaping successfully would require patience. She stole a furtive peek at her superior. Neither the position of his head nor his rigid expression had changed.

Not even a nearby explosion disturbed his inflexible features.

Bright enough to eclipse the sunrise, a flash of light snapped across the horizon, blinding Aiko for a moment. She stopped dead in her tracks. When a rumble shook the desert, her ears directed her eyes. Their road intersected with an area that had erupted into snarling orange flames. Sasori tensed, whites of his eyes widening, pupils minimized to pinpoints. His steely voice had lowered to a livid monotone. "Keep moving."

Unbalanced by the powerful quake, Aiko quickened her pace, but paled when she realized where they were headed.

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{Part IV}

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Night still darkened the sky when Sasori and his subordinate reached the area that had exploded. Embers glistened around the remains of a charred ruin, which continued to collapse under a restless, crackling fire. Aiko reached into her holster. She withdrew her poisoned needles and a pill, which she popped between her teeth. Following Sasori through the wreckage, cautious about worsening his temper, she murmured, "What happened here?"

Sasori hissed, "That blasted Deidara! He blew the laboratory to smithereens."

Aiko intended to reply, but a gust rammed into her back and blew the words away from her lips. Her loose hairs curled into ringlets around her neck as she whirled around, startled by the strong wind, and saw a bird hovering overhead. A young man stood on its back. He wore the same cloak as Sasori, red clouds billowing in the fiery breeze, and the top of his blond half-ponytail rippled like a flag. He spoke from his position with unrelenting arrogance.

"You're late! What gives?"

His indignant tone made Sasori bristle. "I told you to wait for me, Deidara."

The young man leapt onto the remnants of a cement foundation, and gray smoke engulfed his bird. "I did wait," Deidara insisted, "but you took too long. I already completed this mission alone, hm. The captives are down there."

Sasori followed the offhand remark to the only ruin that remained standing. The doors had been barred shut from the outside. His irritation festered like a sore within Hiruko as he headed toward the ruin. Aiko stayed behind with Deidara. He studied her with an unsettling smirk. Black liner rimmed his slanted blue eyes, which gleamed with dangerous intentions when he stepped towards her. Aiko tensed and lifted her needles. Undeterred by her threat, Deidara approached her with an outstretched hand. "What's the matter?"

Aiko dug her foot into the sand, and flung one of her poisoned needles at him, sharpening her voice. "Keep your distance!"

Deidara dodged the attack and shot her a roguish glance. "You must be Aiko, hm?"

"Yes."

"I'm Deidara."

"One of his informants?"

Deidara laughed, cynical edge creeping into his tone. "As if I would ever work for someone like that, hm. I'm his part—"

"Traitor!"

Cutting through the cool night air, a scalpel hurtled at Aiko. She parried the medical instrument with her needles, metal clanging on metal, and the scalpel fell into the sand. A man dressed in a ripped laboratory coat sprung at her."You traitor!" He roared, brandishing a bloodied mallet. The torn hem of his white coat rippled like a wave, shadowing his feet, and grime darkened his infuriated face as he lunged at the young woman. Aiko performed a hasty substitution, and her form burst into a mud puddle when his mallet struck her forehead.

Her mind raced with her movements.

He had called her a traitor.

Bracing her weight against a pile of rubble, Aiko seized another handful of needles, but Deidara intervened. He placed his fingers in front of his smirk. The man in the laboratory coat blanched when he looked down. A clay spider had latched onto his calf. Deidara eyed the scientist with cruel amusement. "Katsu!" The man shrieked as his leg exploded. Flesh shrapnel was flung across the road. Blood splattered onto the ground, speckled with bits of bone, and Deidara snorted at the gore. "Serves him right."

Emerging from behind the bomber, Aiko looked at the gruesome wound sustained by her attacker. His fingers shook as he tried to staunch the bleeding, shattered bone visible, and he howled in agony when the wound only widened. He would never be able to retrieve the rest of his leg. Folding her arms across her chest, Aiko nodded at Deidara. "You make bombs?

"Ha," Deidara pushed the heel of his hand through his thick bangs and lifted his chin, appraising Aiko with a lofty stare, "all my techniques are works of art, hm."

Confused by his confident assertion, Aiko did not reply.

A low and sinister voice responded to him instead. "Those pyrotechnics of yours, art?" Sasori reappeared with three scientists leashed to his tail. His scornful rebuke was cutting enough to make Aiko cringe. "Apparently, Deidara, one of us doesn't understand what true art is." His tone escalated to a snarl when he saw the final scientist on the road. "That same person also doesn't understand what a completed mission is!"

Accustomed to his partner's tantrums, Deidara scoffed. "My man, your judgmental attitude is so unbecoming of an artist, hm."

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{Part V}

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Walking away from the demolished ruin, Deidara and Aiko led Sasori, who had strung the captive scientists to his curled scorpion tail. The miserable scientists, bitter and barely conscious, fumbled through the sand. Aiko glared at the scientist who had attacked her. Sasori had allowed him to heal his leg, and that man leaned on a fellow scientist as he hobbled forward, digging his fingernails into his raw stump. He looked at Aiko with an irrepressible scowl, which did not break when he stumbled forward, the word traitor fresh on his lips.

The sun began to rise in the distance, scorching the stars out of the black night sky, and Deidara glanced over his shoulder at Aiko. Devilish intentions darkened his blue eyes. "Are you bothered by heights? Hm?"

"Not particularly," her voice was soft but deliberate, "why do you ask?"

Deidara reached into the pouch attached to his hip, retrieved a handful of clay, and grinded his fingers against his palm. Aiko watched, curious and intrigued, as he tossed a bird into the air. He made a hand sign in front of his mouth and it enlarged. Flapping its wings, the bird generated a hefty gust. Deidara inhaled, blond hair swirling into a hurricane. He could already taste the wind on his tongue. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He faced Aiko. "Tell me, what do you think of my art?"

"Impressive," Aiko breathed, combing her bangs into place with her fingers.

Deidara leapt onto the bird, cloak swelling behind his heels, and the aircraft rocked forward. He passed Aiko an expectant look. She glanced at Sasori. He ignored her, too busy muttering irritably under his breath, so Aiko followed Deidara onto the back of the bird. When her feet landed on the malleable but firm surface, Deidara steadied her. Hands pressing into her hips, he leaned over her shoulder to murmur in her ear.

"I'll show you impressive."

With a snap of his fingers, the bird ascended. Aiko cheeped. Breezes flipped up her skirt as they soared higher.

Deidara laughed, propelling the aircraft forward. "Have faith in me, hm!"

Their speed increased. Aiko regained her composure as quickly as she could, and scooted away from Deidara. Her heartbeats accelerated when the rising sun caught her eye. The most stunning and powerful star vanquished the night in a single upwards stroke. Protecting her eyes with her arm, Aiko peered across the golden desert. She heard Deidara sigh, no doubt enamored with the clash of purple and red hues, the streaks of colors that brightened the horizon. Aiko could not imagine a more brilliant or breathtaking sight, and as the wild coyotes yowled, she glanced at her smug companion.

"What did I tell you, hm?" Deidara steered the bird toward the ground, leaving the sunrise behind.

"I'm impressed." Aiko looked at the figures trudging across the ground and, thankful to be spared the trouble of walking, asked, "So, where are we going?"

Crouching on the back of his bird, Deidara replied, "To the Land of Rivers. Of course, we have a safe house for Akatsuki members, but you'll be staying in separate accommodations."

Ears pricked to the opportunity, Aiko felt her breath shallow. She could not navigate the godforsaken desert on her own, but she could easily get around the Land of Rivers and escape into Konohagakure. The thought of seeing Izumo and Hana again made her tremble. If she proved her worth by escaping from Sasori, the Third Hokage might be impressed enough to assign her to missions outside the village. Her mind brimmed with hopeful ideas, but a harsh chuckle interrupted her thoughts.

Aiko fell under the shadow of Deidara.

He suddenly towered over her.

"I'm not sure what my man Sasori is planning to do with you. But we can't have you running off, can we?"

Caught off guard, Aiko leapt to her feet, but Deidara tackled her. They collapsed into a thrashing heap. Aiko panicked when the precarious aircraft rocked. Entangling his legs with hers, Deidara restrained one of her arms, flattening it against her throat to choke her, and pinned her other arm onto the back of the bird. "Hold still, hm!" Aiko elbowed his chin as hard as she could, rammed her heel into his shin, and Deidara fought to subdue her under his weight. Withdrawing a crinkled piece of paper from his cloak, he slapped it onto the inside of her wrist, and performed a rapid series of hand signs.

A flame of energy snaked through her nerves, and Aiko seized. "That fucking hurts!" She wrenched away her arm and heaved Deidara off her back. He landed on his knees. Too flabbergasted to speak, Aiko clutched her wrist. Embedded into her pale flesh, a crimson scorpion throbbed in tandem with the pulse of her blood, its stinger poised at the tip of the veins on the inside of her wrist. It was a sealing mark. Aiko glared venomously at Deidara when he stood, running his knuckles under his chin, a bruise swelling on his jawbone. "You tricked me," she hissed.

"Now I know why Sasori wanted me to do it instead, hm!" Deidara muttered, his trademark smirk resurfacing. "You have some nerve, attacking me on this bird."

Aiko gripped her crumpled dress. "You started it."

Deidara dismissed her with a flippant wave of his hand. "Technicalities! My mission is complete now, hm."

Aiko went silent, outraged by his conceit, and tore her watering eyes away. Deidara made a snide remark, but she ignored him. The emotions that surged in her heart had vanished, replaced with a cold emptiness, and she grieved over her lost opportunity. She would have revenge on Deidara. When they reached the Land of Rivers and parted ways at the safe house, Aiko slipped off the bird without a word. She reported to Sasori before she departed, icily cool and composed, resigned to her current fate.

Clanking across the road, Sasori arrested Aiko with a glare. "Interrogations start at sundown tomorrow. Make sure you don't keep me waiting."

Aiko nodded.

Deidara tipped his hand against his forehead, attempting to infuriate her further, but Aiko was already walking away.

"I'll see you tomorrow, hm."

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{End}