Chapter 2 – Blue Moon

What have I gotten myself into?!

Sasori growled. If he were human, he would have a headache.

"Take care of the prisoner" Leader had told him, "He may be of use when he is healthy once again. That is all."

He Tch-ed. Idiotic brat. The kid, as he refused to acknowledge Deidara by his name, was nothing but trouble! When he wasn't whining about being hungry, cold, or bored, he wanted to "talk" to Sasori. That was where the Akasuna drew the line. He would never stoop so low as to gossip with dumb little kids.

Deidara was weak. Horribly so. He was under-fed, severely underweight, nearly dead from hypothermia, and he had been travelling in the winter storm for over a week.

He had been going from Iwa, trying to "just get away", in his own words. The blonde had never so much as told them his real reasons for hating Iwa, and none of them had honestly cared enough to pry him on it.

In fact, hardly any of the members even acknowledged that Deidara was in the hideout. Kisame was the only one actually interested in the teen. He had seen the same hot-headed fire in Deidara as he had in himself, and that intrigued him, to say the least. He honestly hoped that Sasori would keep Deidara alive long enough for him to heal.

Sasori only put up with the blonde because Leader had ordered him to do so. Usually, the kid would have already been a puppet by now.

Not that he would be useful in any way….

Sasori shook his head when he heard the brat stirring in the next room, muttering incoherently.

Better go catch him before he causes any more ruckus, the little pansy.

-+-+-

Deidara ran.

Far and fast away.

He ran as fast as he could, struggling to keep them off his heels.

His resistance was futile, however, and he felt one of them grab his leg, successfully tripping and immobilizing him.

"No, un! Let me go, let me go, let me go!!"

His eyes were wide with panic and fear, pleading for mercy as he heard their cold snickers.

He knew they enjoyed it. Every moment. Every moment he screamed, begged, pleaded…. The enjoyed, took happiness in.

"Hehehe…. The little freak is begging. Look at him, how pitiful." The one with black eyes was the one he hated most. Black-eyes was his enemy. Black-eyes was the one who started all of this, who revealed his secret, who he owed all of his agony and suffering to.

Green-eyes piped in her two-cents. "Maybe we should go easy on him today. Looks like he can't take much more, and we wouldn't want our favorite toy to give out so soon, would we?" She cackled.

He clutched his knees to his chin, mumbling pleas over and over.

Then, another voice spoke up.

It wasn't like the others.

His eyes flickered open.

This is new….. He had a new tormentor…. Possibly.

Brown-eyes.

"Deidara," Brown-eyes spoke, "Deidara!"

He shook his head, squinting his eyes shut again.

Just then, he was kicked, making him open his eyes.

"Brat!!"

-+-+-

Deidara rubbed his eyes, then opened them. He was on a stone floor. Black-eyes, Green-eyes, and Brown-eyes were gone. Now he was looking up at Sasori.

"Insolent brat! You're even noisy in your sleep! Tch! So annoying!"

Deidara looked down, for once staying silent. He never could talk right after dreams about that.

So he just sighed.

-+-+-

Sasori looked down at the brat. 'Sad,' part of him said. But he pushed that part of himself, the only human part left of himself, back into the very back of his mind. He didn't need that again.

He looked back at the brat. He was still on his knees, looking down at the floor.

What changed his attitude so quickly? Wasn't he hot-headed only a few hours ago?

-+-+-

Deidara cursed himself inwardly.

Idiot, you're thirteen forsake years old! That's way to old to be having nightmares!

Then he heard Black-eye's voice.

Freak.

Freak.

Freak!

FREAK!

Deidara could take no more. He felt as if Black-eyes was staring straight at him, kicking him, calling him all of the names he used to.

He screamed. He kicked his legs out and screamed as if he was being assaulted in the most horrible ways. His head was thrown back, his entire voice cracking as he voiced his inner agony.

"No, un! No, no, no, no! I'm not a freak, yeah! Quit it! Stop, stop, STOP!"

His voice was piercing and shrill.

-+-+-

Sasori couldn't help but to take several steps back.

That insane brat! What the heck does he think he is screaming about?! Gah!

Sasori could only watch, half appalled and half frightened by the boy's screams. Then an idea hit him.

The other Akatsuki can hear. Oh God, if Hidan can hear this, the pervert is going to take it the wrong way! He's going to think that I am raping the brat!

Sasori quickly back-handed the young blonde. Not as hard as the first time they met, but hard enough to snap him out of whatever the crazy child was being deluded by.

-+-+-

Deidara felt a sharp twinge of pain in his world.

Maybe Black-eyes is finally going to kill me. Maybe this pain will finally end.

He looked up, to face the eyes of his would-be killer, only to be met with someone new.

Brown-eyes!.... Wait…. That's….

"Sasori-no-Danna, un!"

Deidara quickly latched onto his "savior's" leg, his scrawny arms having quite the strength when he willed them to.

-+-+-

Sasori looked at Deidara as if he had finally snapped. Then he noticed that the brat was clinging to his leg.

"Hmph. You idiotic brat! What the heck are you getting all excited about?"

Deidara just kept steady with his clinging. Sasori noted that the brat was strong.

He really is stronger than when we first met him. The question is how strong is he exactly?

-+-+-

Deidara held his grip for several more minutes. Time passed slowly for him, his nightmare and past washing over him and giving him even greater reason to cling on to Sasori's leg.

After he finally regained control of himself, Deidara loosened his grip, sliding back down onto the floor, not quite daring enough to look up at Sasori's expression.

I'm dead, un. Sasori doesn't even like me. He's going to kill me, yeah.

He shuddered at the thought of what the Akatsuki-nin was capable of doing to him.

Yup, I'm so dead. Oh well, remember what Tsuchikage-samma said. "Always either win your fights or die in them. Never admit defeat while alive, and always look death bravely in the eye."

He shuddered once more, before slowly lifting his head to meet Sasori's gaze.

-+-+-

…. The End. For now, at least!

*gets shot* **again**

I like this chappie better. It has somewhat more of a plot.

It also introduces more of a personality to Deidara, and gives you a little more about him in that dream of his.

Sasori is still being stubborn and won't let me write him the way I want, however. T_T

Meanie.

Oh well! At least I met my deadline! This was out by the end of the weekend, and that was my goal!

REVIEW PLEASE!!!!! (Author and Story alerts are WONDERFUL, but reviews give me motivation and feed the plot bunnehs! :3)