A/N: Finally the rewritten version of chapter 4! There are more changes at the beginning than the end because I was getting a bit sick of the rewrites so I'm not 100% happy with it. But the DeiSaku scenes are perfect, which is the most important part I suppose. I've decided not to rewrite any more chapters as its too much work and is slowing the progress of the story. Please review. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the rewrite! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any shape or form.
Chapter 4: Shades of Grey
Sakura wiped several beads of sweat from her damp forehead with the back of her hand and let out an audible sigh. She resigned herself to several long tedious hours of working in the stifling hot room which – thanks to the sizzling weather outside – resembled that of a piping-hot oven. Apparently S-Class Criminals weren't entitled to basic human rights such as the luxury of air conditioning but they could have at least thought about the staff that had to work in those conditions, Sakura thought tiredly. She yawned and rubbed a stray fleck of sleep out of her eyes, reflecting that a combination of the weather and the excessive amounts of chakra required to heal the patients most likely acted as a sufficient deterrent to most complaints. Generally speaking, people didn't make the effort to file a complaint when they were bone-tired.
"Not much sleep last night?" Deidara asked the medic conversationally. The question was posed innocently enough but Sakura caught a glimmer of an expression on his face which was entirely too knowing. With the distinct impression that he was playing mind games again she side-stepped the question. It didn't take an observant person to deduce that she was shattered. He couldn't know anything, she reassured herself.
"I thought we'd agreed not to pry into each other's lives, Deidara," Sakura deflected his question with a stony smile which was rather at odds with her nervous racing heart. She had never been very good at concealing her emotions but she hoped that the dimness of the room provided sufficient cover to hide her unease.
"No, you agreed not to pry into my life," Deidara countered, a crooked smirk enhancing his features. "I said nothing about yours".
Sakura felt a heady rush of blood thunder needlessly through her veins at those words and prayed that it wouldn't find its way to her cheeks. She refused believe for even one minute that he had even the slightest interest in her. The last thing she needed was an ill-timed blush which would be embarrassing more than anything else. She admitted that the man was undeniably attractive and that she would have happily spent most of the time in his company ogling him if it wasn't for the situation she was in but there was no reason for him to know that. She had no intention of inflating his over-sized ego.
"I think you'd find my life pretty boring, to be honest," the medic replied, hoping that by down-playing her circumstances he would lose interest.
"Really? Because I'd have thought sneaking round the hospital at night would certainly count as interesting," the blonde said with smug satisfaction, cerulean blue eyes sparkling as they gauged her reaction.
"W-what do you mean?" Sakura stammered; her mind in complete turmoil. She hardly dared to trust her ears, only doing so because the overwhelming evidence that it was not a figment of her imagination lay right before her eyes. It was hard to misinterpret the triumphant look upon his face.
Fear, bordering on the hysterical clawed at her insides as she attempted to control her alarmingly accelerated breathing. Frightened thoughts whirled around her brain like a maelstrom and with them came the realisation of what the discovery of her late night excursion would mean. It was inconceivable to the medic how the Akatsuki member had caught wind of her little transgression, especially as the man in question wore shackles specifically designed to block chakra manipulation. Although she hated to admit it, there was a strong possibility that the sand shinobi were aware of her less-than-innocent behaviour. Even more worrying, was the idea that they knew and had failed to act on it. She retraced the night in her head, looking for potential flaws in her plan; for something, anything she might have overlooked.
She had worn light, dark gear designed for stealth; taking extra care to hide her all-too-noticeable bright hair under a thick woollen hat, ensuring that she wouldn't be immediately recognisable if she was unfortunate enough to run into someone. She had arrived there several hours before dawn – a subtle sneak peak at the rota on the way out of the medical centre had informed her of the optimum time to stage her break-in – unable to shake the distinct feeling that something was bound to go wrong. Unfortunately her instinct hadn't been wrong.
The small wooden window creaked in protest, shedding white paint on the floor as the two blocks of wood – which had lamentably expanded in the afternoon heat – rubbed abrasively against each other. Sakura stiffened at the sound. She peered through the dense foliage which provided suitable cover for her little act of deviance and strained her ears to detect even the slightest sound. After a minute or two, she relaxed and shoved her black bag through the small opening before squeezing in after it. After several tense moments in which she struggled desperately to wriggle through the gap, she concluded she needed to find a better window. She groaned, imagining having to explain to several irate shinobi in the morning exactly why she was presenting her arse to the entire world whilst forcing her way into a small toilet in the east wing of the medical centre. With that thought firmly stuck in mind, Sakura managed to free herself from the window and breathed a sigh of relief.
Perhaps it was because she had no business being there but the medical centre was strangely eerie at night. The medic found herself checking and rechecking the dark corners of the hospital as she traversed the silent corridors, convinced that there was someone lurking in the shadows but these fears always proved unfounded. She concluded it was just her imagination.
Sakura turned the corner and jumped a foot in the air as a sudden outburst of whistling broke the silence, followed by the unmistakable sound of footsteps. Frantically she looked around for somewhere to hide and spied a door slightly ajar further down the hall. She had only just managed to sidle into the room when a janitor wearing navy overalls and wheeling a tray of cleaning agents rounded the corner, whistling a merry tune. Sakura instinctively shrank against the wall as he passed and only expelled the air she had been unconsciously holding when the man was beyond hearing range. That had been close!
She arrived at the office without further incident and proceeded to flick through the contents of some very official-looking grey filing cabinets before she found what she was looking for. A draw marked "Transfers". Eagerly she scanned the draw, stopping only when she found the file name "Haruno, Sakura".
She leafed through the contents excitedly, on the lookout for anything that might indicate why she was there. Almost immediately she noticed the promising word "Requested" stamped diagonally across the page in red ink. The medic smiled faintly and continued to peruse the transfer file with renewed interest, skipping over the details she deemed unimportant such as her age, height and rank as a shinobi.
She paused at the mission heading but it was decidedly uninformative. She read aloud; "Assigned as personal medic for the interrogation of the Akatsuki prisoner: Deidara. Duration of mission is unknown". She groaned and ran her fingers through her pink strands of hair in frustration. "Tell me something I don't know".
Further down the page she found what she was looking for, "Authorisation for Request: Confidential".
"Confidential?" Sakura wondered aloud. This piece of news was startling and intriguing to say the least. It was also a little worrying. What could be so important that the client refused to be named? If they wanted to remain anonymous, it definitely changed things. For one thing, they would be a lot harder to track down than she had initially thought. After several moments of speculation, Sakura decided that the Kazekage was the most likely candidate. Or at least, he was the only person she could think of who would want to keep his actions under the radar.
She thumbed through the rest of the file but found nothing else worth of note. She yawned and stuffed the folder back into the cabinet, displeased. The results of her little excursion had brought up more questions than answers.
"I think you know exactly what I mean, yeah". Deidara was speaking again, arrogant smirk firmly back in place. Sakura suspected he was thoroughly enjoying the unexpected role reversal. For once she was at his mercy, instead of him at hers.
"I-, you were mistaken," she replied stubbornly, folding her arms defensively. Unfortunately she sounded little more convincing than Tsunade had when Shizune discovered several empty bottles of sake stuffed behind a bookshelf in the Hokage's office a few weeks back.
Deidara raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell me what you were up to?"
"What makes you think I was up to something?" Sakura replied. "There could be a perfectly legitimate reason for returning here, that is providing I did return here last night. You can't prove it either way".
"No, but I'm willing to bet that you would do anything to keep news of your visit from reaching the wrong ears," he replied, looking like the cat that got the cream. "I'm sure that they could find traces of your presence if they looked hard enough, yeah".
So this was how it was going to be? Sakura thought grimly; quite unable to believe her ears which had no trouble discerning the thinly veiled threat. The realisation that her patient, her patient of all people was extorting her left the kunoichi feeling rankled. A split-second later she reluctantly reminded herself who she was dealing with. He was a member of the Akatsuki. Blackmail was probably ingrained into his soul; second nature, almost.
"What do you want," she growled, eyes flashing predatorily. She took a defensive stance, with hands on her hips, fearing that she had made a serious oversight in even daring to talk to him in a manner that was anything but professional.
Her heart-beat reached a crescendo, crashing against her ribs in mingled fury and fear as she met his steadfast gaze, grappling with her inner havoc in an attempt to keep her eyes neutral. Her palpitated breathing punctuated the air. Like a caged animal, she was backed into a corner and she knew she had no choice but to meet his demands if she wanted to avoid an inquiry. Then again, perhaps that was the lesser of the two evils. If she caved, the acts she could be forced to commit would have repercussions of astronomical size – far more dangerous than being caught dipping her hand in a few confidential documents. She could be facing a life-time in prison.
"Well that depends," he grinned broadly and leaned back on his bed artfully with an air of apparent nonchalance – but his eyes were sharp and scrutinising.
"Deidara!"
"Relax. Like I'd tell them anything," he scoffed, a shadow of resentment darkening his face momentarily as he jerked his head in the direction of the closed door.
Wide-eyed and wary, the medic stared at him, completely caught off-guard. "Why wouldn't you?" she asked him slowly, still digesting the peculiar phrase as she formulated a reply.
"Do you want me to tell them?" He asked, undisguised incredulity creating noticeable chinks in his facade of perfect indifference.
"Of course I don't!" Sakura said hotly, expelling her sharp retort into the stuffy atmosphere. Her lungs constricted tightly as another rolling wave of unease washed over her numb, disbelieving body.
"Then stop complaining, yeah," he replied simply, expecting her to drop the matter then and there. "I would achieve nothing by telling them".
A slight frown creased the smooth skin of Sakura's forehead. It was true that he wouldn't achieve anything by ratting her out to the Sand but he could achieve a lot by threatening her with the prospect of informing them. Perhaps he didn't relish the idea of being a tattle-tale but Sakura sensed intuitively that it ran deeper than that. So why had he chosen not to? Wisely, she chose not to press the matter, having learnt from experience that Deidara was likely to clam up upon being asked such a direct, personal question.
"How did you find out?" The medic asked after several moments of hush, speaking into her knees as she spoke, hugging them worriedly. Inwardly, she repressed the urge to shy away from hearing the dreaded answer but it was vital to learn the truth. "You shouldn't be able to sense anything with those chakra bands on; did someone tell you?"
Deidara shook his head. "No".
Sakura breathed the sigh of relief she'd been unconsciously holding.
"Healing takes up quite a lot of chakra," he began slowly, as if not sure where to begin. Sakura nodded encouragingly at the familiar basic fact – one of the first Tsunade had ever imparted her with. Unbidden, her first healing lesson crept into her mind. "And foreign chakra takes a while to disperse; there's usually a residue left over when massive amounts of chakra are transferred".
The medic swept a lock of lustrous, rosy hair out from her vivid green eyes and frowned. "So-"
"I felt the residue chakra respond last night and knew you were close," he said plainly, the familiar bite of impatience returning to his voice.
"But how-"
"How am I supposed to know?" Deidara snapped, his short-temper resurfacing for the umpteenth time and Sakura knew the interview was over.
She lowered her eyes disappointedly and suppressed the instinct to sigh. Frightening though it was to admit it, they had been getting on surprisingly well – if you excluded the blackmailing and the taunting. She figured they must have broken some kind of record to be able to conduct a civil conversation with each other. Even if it was for only a minute. For one ludicrous, heart-stopping second she had actually believed, no deluded herself into thinking he actually might like her, considering he had refrained from telling on her. She brushed the thought aside impatiently, as one might a fly. She was being ridiculous. It shouldn't matter to her so she wondered why it did.
Finally, the day of her friends' arrival dawned. Breaking her established tradition, Sakura rose from the soft downy bed upon the first wail that emitted from the tiny alarm clock perched on her bedside table. It made a change from being subjected to a never-ending war with the snooze button. Humming to herself, she glanced out of the window at the superb blue sky and attacked her morning routines with more enthusiasm than usual. She would be at the entrance to the sand far too early but she didn't care.
The great sun-burnt yellow gates which led to the outside world were propped open on their hinges, revealing a golden, glittering vista which stretched out as far as the eye could see. Apart from a few sentries milling around the inner complex, the place was deserted. Flicking her cherry blossom hair impatiently, Sakura stared out at the desert unwaveringly, a hand poised above her brow to shield her gaze from the ferocity of the morning sun.
As the yellow fiery orb rose higher in the sky, great physical rolling waves of heat began to descend on the village. Subjected to the intensity of its gaze, it wasn't long before the medic became uncomfortably hot and her throat burned with irritation. Spying a small strip of shade against a nearby building, she settled down and resumed her watching, chastising herself for not bringing a bottle of water.
She knew it was stupid to wait for them to arrive. She knew it was stupid waiting at the entrance to the village half the morning – she was already receiving a few funny looks – but she couldn't wait. Now more than ever, she needed the advice and support of her friends. There was nothing better for her to do here anyway, she thought bitterly.
"Here," A white-garbed guard startled her by passing her a bottle of water. He had probably been watching her a while, she realised with slight trepidation. She wondered if they'd met before. "You look parched".
"Thanks," she smiled gratefully taking the drink which was mercifully cool. The fabled liquid splashed down her throat, watering the cracked, dry desert it had become. The guard was already striding away.
With nothing better to do, her mind inevitably began to dwell on her mysterious employer and the differences that divided Konoha and Suna so starkly that the contrast seemed almost black and white. Lazily she leant back against the sun-bleached wall. How would Konoha have reacted if they had caught a member of the Akatsuki that had just attempted to assassinate their Hokage?
Well they wouldn't have requested a medic from another village for a start, Sakura scowled.
Fortunately she was saved from further musings as a number of dark spots appeared on the horizon. She squinted against the glare, attempting to discern the features of the shadowy figures. Within minutes, the indistinct figures had trebled in size. Sakura stood up and watched with rapt attention as they grew larger and larger and began to take on more distinct forms. She ran forwards, kicking up great plumes of sand in her haste and gripping her bottle so tightly it almost split. They were here!
A few breathless seconds later and Naruto, Kakashi, Gai, Lee, Ten Ten and Neji passed through the bleached wooden gates; beads of sweat trickling down their sun-burnt foreheads.
"Naruto-kun!" Sakura threw her arms around the startled blonde, who grinned in response.
"Oh hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto casually ruffled his hair, still grinning. "Did you miss me?"
Sakura laughed; a sound unfamiliar to her ears. "It's been so dull here without you guys." She glanced over at her former teacher, who was straightening his headband. "It's good to see you too Kakashi-sensai!"
"Hey, Sakura-chan! Did you miss me too?" Lee butted in a little too enthusiastically, stumbling across the uneven sand in his eagerness.
"Shut up Bushy-Brows" Naruto groaned. He added in an undertone "He's been getting on my nerves the whole journey".
"At least-" Sakura whispered back.
"Sakura-chan! Please, please, please will you give me a super amazing tour of the village?" Lee interrupted once more. Behind him, Ten Ten and Neji shook their heads in disgust.
"Er-" She began rather awkwardly, in no mood to appease others. Thankfully she was saved from answering by Naruto and his bottomless stomach.
"Do you know where the nearest ramen shop is? I'm starving!" Naruto grinned in anticipation.
"Um, I don't think there is one," she replied slowly. Predictably, an intense look of disappointment crossed the Number One, Unpredictable Ninja's face and before long the entire group was subjected to one hundred reasons why a village without a ramen shop should be a criminal offence.
Grateful for the distraction, Sakura was free to talk to the copy-cat ninja in relative peace and she took the opportunity with apparent relish. She glanced up at her former teacher who was watching Naruto's tirade with an amused expression and wondered how to convey across her unease and misgivings about the mission without being overly dramatic. She briefly considered confessing about the almost-blackmail before she recoiled, dismissing it instantly. It wasn't necessary for him to know, she decided uncomfortably, averse to seeing the shame that would undoubtedly cross her sensei's face. She wasn't above lying or omitting certain truths, if she had to.
"Something on your mind, Sakura?" Kakashi smiled as his visible eye met hers.
"Oh, um it's nothing!" Caught off-guard, she replied a little too brightly and wincing inwardly at the reflex answer. They walked in silence for a while as Sakura attempted to recompose her chaotic thoughts. "Actually…" She began hesitantly.
"Yes?"
They had stopped in the middle of the street oblivious to the people around them.
"It's about the mission," Sakura said in a rush. "I… I don't think I can do this. It's too…" She paused, searching for the right word.
Kakashi gave her a small smile. "There will always be missions that are more personal than others. Your best friend is a Jinchuuriki and you've been asked to heal a member of the organisation that is after him. That must be difficult".
Sakura nodded, unable to dispel the bubble of anxiety welling up inside her chest. The whole mission disturbed her on more levels than one. Sometimes she thought she must be going insane. It was not just the situation that bothered her but her own reaction to it. It was not something she could express with mere words and Sakura decided it was unwise to try, so she remained silent.
"You'll do just fine," Kakashi said supportively.
"Yeah" Sakura agreed automatically, forcing herself to appear cheerful. Her friends were surrounding and supporting her, so why did she still feel so alone?
By now, the sun had reached its highest peak in the sky and only the mud-baked buildings could keep the scorching rays at bay. For this reason alone, the streets were emptied of the chaotic crowds that filled them leaving only a few stragglers and a trio of Konoha ninja to brave the heat. Despite this, Sakura's mood steadily improved. The sweltering heat was a small price to pay for her reunion with her boys.
Her time spent with Naruto before the Sand had been very brief. There had been little time to swap stories and the medic was genuinely curious about Naruto's three-year absence. She only hoped that Jiraiya hadn't made too much of a lasting impression on him, making a mental note not to bathe in the hot springs any time soon.
She glanced at her former sensei for any changes, who had barely broken into a sweat despite the weather, while managing to exude the same casual, laid-back attitude she knew so well. Yep. Kakashi was the same as ever.
"Which way to the Kazekage's office?" Naruto said abruptly, breaking into her train of thought and effectively ending her musings.
"Um…" Truthfully Sakura had no idea where it was but she doubted that really mattered. The Kazekage – she had heard – was literally swamped with paperwork, meetings and who knew what else. It was unlikely that Gaara would be able to find time to meet with them until they could provide new information and supply insight to the situation. While Kakashi explained all this to Naruto with more patience than Sakura knew she could ever muster, she remembered her own reasons for wanting to visit the Kazekage. She wondered vaguely if she would have the courage to ask him. Perhaps if she'd been like Naruto she would have marched off there and demanded an answer out of him the moment she had arrived. But she was not. Either way, her questions would have to wait.
Just as the water in her bottle was getting perilously close to zero, the trio spied a bar only a few hundred yards away. Sakura sighed in relief. The heat was as ferocious as ever and the others shared her enthusiasm of retreating into the shade.
They settled down at a small rickety wooden table – which was mercifully in the shade – in no hurry to order. The pink-haired kunoichi glanced around the table, unable to keep a small smile from forming on her lips. She had barely seen Naruto return from his training before being whisked away on another mission but it appeared that after three years he was still as hot-headed and immature as before. Somehow, she wasn't surprised.
This was how it should be. The three of them together again. She spared only a passing thought for Sasuke. She tried not to think of him if she could help it. Although her attraction for him had faded long ago, she still wished they could have done something, anything to save him. But there was no point dwelling on the past. Sasuke was gone.
Determined to let none of her thoughts show, Sakura grabbed the drinks menu from the middle of the table and perused it absently. 'Sandy's' was written across the top in a bold, graceful script.
"Not very original are they?" Sakura remarked.
"Oh let's just order!" Naruto replied. "I'm too thirsty to think".
"Alright," Sakura scanned the menu before picking the safe option – water. "What are you having Naruto-kun, kaka-sensei?"
The afternoon that followed was the best she'd had in a while. One, two, three hours whirled away in what seemed like minutes and all too soon it was time for Sakura to leave.
"Well," she said with a smile, draining the last of her juice. "This has been brilliant guys, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave now. Duty calls," she said with a sigh, the familiar weight of dread settling on her burdened shoulders.
Kakashi raised his hand in farewell. "See y-"
"To heal that Akatsuki bastard?" Naruto said abruptly, making her wince.
Their former sensei exhaled deeply, not bothering to hide his exasperation.
"Yes" She sighed. Careful to avoid what she imagined would be an accusing gaze, she bent down to pick up her bag off the sandy floor. She turned around to leave. This was what she'd been afraid of. The pink-haired ninja shouldered her pack, sure to take no more than a cursory glance at the bar and definitely not in the direction of the table; of which she had no desire to see ever again.
"I'll see you later" She spoke out loud; unsure of whom she was addressing.
She focused on the sand shifting around her feet as she walked, not daring to look back. She truly was a coward. Why hadn't she stood up for herself? Repeated the arguments that danced around her head? She knew why. How could she defend something she barely believed in herself?
"Hey, wait!" Naruto almost knocked the table over in his haste. "I'm not angry with you!"
Sakura watched him, her eyes widened in shock.
"I'm not blaming you for this!" He began. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"None of this is your fault!" Her smile became a grin.
"I know you don't want to heal him!" It was only sheer reflex that kept her grin in place. Did she? Honestly Sakura didn't know. Her dislike of Deidara because he was an Akatsuki was still as strong as ever and his teasing drove her crazy. But there were times, when she forgot that he was a notorious criminal that she almost liked him. With an effort, she pushed her traitorous thoughts aside. Perhaps she was just over-analysing her emotions.
Everyone must have some good traits if you look hard enough, she reassured herself.
"Thanks Naruto" Sakura said, enjoying the warmth that his words gave her which were marred only by the guilt that his last remark had incited in her. "Anyway, I've got to go or I'll be late. See you later, Naruto-kun, Kakashi-Sensai".
She walked away, leaving sandy footprints in the sand, determined to carry some of the warmth her friends had given her inside herself for the rest of the day.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice carried across the wind. "If he does anything to hurt you, I'll make him pay!"
Sakura reached the medical centre feeling weirdly optimistic. She wondered if she would regret her lapse of sanity later. Still, even if the session was a complete fiasco she could look forward to seeing her friends afterwards. She cheered up at the thought.
Sakura's heart sank upon reaching the iron-clad door. In spite of her favourable mood, she was reluctant to remove the only obstacle between her and her "patient". A slither of wariness cloaked her mind; she was loathe to give the Akatsuki more opportunities to force her into coercion. However there was little time to hover indecisively as one of the guards opened the door for her. Sakura was torn between thanking and punching him. All she could manage was a small smile as she entered the room far too small for her and her confused emotions.
The healing session began without incident and Sakura began to tend to his wounds almost without thought. Usually when healing the Akatsuki, Sakura's muscles were tense and coiled – a combination of nerves and worry – yet now they felt loose. She was relaxed, she realised with sudden chagrin. Still she was not so foolish as to lower her guard. The man that lay before her could not be trusted.
From the stoic expression on Deidara's face, Sakura surmised that his mood was anything but happy. The little that she had gleaned from his character indicated that he was not in the habit of revealing his true emotions and therefore Sakura was unsurprised that he had not uttered a single word since the session had begun. To all appearances he seemed to find the ceiling more interesting than her company.
Sakura considered herself to be anything but naïve; she knew that the Akatsuki was under no obligation to speak to her, however; this blatant show of indifference was grating on her nerves. All of this should not have bothered her but inexplicably, it did and this made her uncomfortable. Perhaps she should get her head checked. Surely it was a good thing that he wasn't speaking to her? She sighed, remembering how well that had turned out last time. Fraternizing with the enemy was definitely not on the menu.
Against her better judgement she scrutinised his face – at least the half of it that wasn't hidden by a thick golden curtain – attempting to read his apathetic expression. Their eyes made contact, much to her chagrin. All of a sudden the silence became stiflingly obvious.
"Bad day, huh?" Sakura cringed inwardly. Perhaps that wasn't the best choice of words for a once-missing nin where every day was surely a bad day.
When no answer was forthcoming – though in all honesty she hadn't expected one after a statement like that – she tried again.
"Sorry, bad choice of words!" There was a slight nervous edge to her laugh as she attempted to cover up her blunder. "I didn't mean to-"
Why was she apologising? If it had been possible to glare at herself she would have. There were times when he intimidated her even though she was the one with two armed guards to call upon and he had no chakra to defend himself with.
Coward. She grimaced, almost tasting the bitter word on her lips. Always, Naruto and Sasuke had surpassed her. Always, she had been the one left behind, too afraid and weak to be anything more than a nuisance. She clenched her fist. Not anymore! She had sworn to be a nuisance no longer. This would be one promise that she'd keep.
A low chuckle emitted from the bed ending in a hacking cough and Sakura felt her cheeks redden, wondering how much he had read from her face. She was being made a fool of. Well two could play at that game.
"Something wrong?" The Konoha medic asked innocently, over what sounded like the Akatsuki was coughing up a lung. She wondered at how one minute she felt almost sorry for the guy and next she could quite happily punch him herself, if not for the fact that he had enough bruises as it was.
"No," He began, trying and failing to control the coughs that wracked his body. "I- I'm fine, yeah". He emerged from his coughing fit scarlet and out of breath.
Perhaps you should have waited until I finished healing your lungs," Sakura said, unable to keep a small smirk from off her face.
"It was nothing, yeah," He sighed, massaging his inflamed throat.
"I call it Karma," The pink-haired kunoichi smiled as she sifted through the bottles on the metal tray before selecting the appropriate one. A large blue-labelled bottle in hand, she made her way back towards the bed.
"Call it what you want, yeah. Karma doesn't exist," Deidara replied with some conviction. "Or then how is it I'm still alive?" A slight smirk hugged the corner of his lips as if to further emphasise that he was living proof that karma did not exist.
"Well maybe this is your punishment?" She teased, her emerald eyes dancing.
"Hmph".
There was a lull in conversation and Sakura resumed the healing process, focusing on knitting sinew and bone together, her mind wholly focused on her task or would have been if it were not for a niggling voice in her brain that continued the conversation inside her head. She sighed, hoping that the voice would do her a favour and shut the hell up. She had enough to think about without having to worry about witty comebacks to hurl in the Akatsuki's direction.
Unfortunately for Sakura the little voice did not shut up, in fact it became progressively louder given that it had voiced an interesting question for the medic. She mulled over the single thought that had somehow lodged itself at the forefront of her brain. Even though the conversation was long over, Sakura lips moved with a will of their own and so it was with some surprise that she heard herself say:
"Do you believe it?"
The blonde-haired shinobi looked up in surprise. It was clear that he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. She should probably explain herself more fully next time instead of shooting out random questions like a quizmaster.
"Believe what yeah?" Deidara's full undivided attention was focused upon the medic now. A slight crease crinkled his brow.
Sakura hoped she was not as inept at hiding her embarrassment as she was at controlling her temper. The question definitely fell under the personal questions category. It was not too late to drop the question, to lie and make up some excuse but Sakura decided that she might as well continue, foolish though it may be.
"Do you believe that what you're doing; the organisation, everything, is wrong?"
Understanding blossomed in his azure eyes; he knew that she was referring to his comment about still being alive after all that he had done. His reply was a while in coming. The expression on his face was difficult to read. Was he angry, shocked or something else? Sakura wondered if she'd gone too far.
"I didn't mean it like that, yeah".
"Then-," she began hesitantly, halting after the first word. It probably wasn't such a good idea to ask him what he really meant after all. She bit her tongue – figuratively – but she'd said enough. Deidara knew perfectly well what she meant. The unspoken question hung between them frailly like a thin veil of silk. It took only a few words to rip it apart.
"Look, just stop trying to figure me out, yeah!" Deidara growled angrily. "I have enough questions forced on me every day! What is it to you what I think? You're from Konoha, yeah. Why do you even pretend like you care?"
Stillness crept over the room. Sakura could hear the birds outside, the tramp of boots down the corridor, she could even count her own heartbeat. Sakura did not answer because she had no answer. He was right. He was right about everything except that she pretended to care.
Of course she didn't care but just because she didn't care it didn't mean that she couldn't be curious. She could tell that this answer would not go down well with the Akatsuki though so she chose to say nothing, preferring not to be accused of lying. Her perfect mood had vanished and yet she had no energy to argue.
"What about you, yeah?" Deidara asked abruptly.
"What?"
"Why would you choose this mission, yeah. You're not even from the Sand".
Deidara's brow knit together in confusion. It was Sakura's turn to struggle with an answer. He had voiced the very question she'd dearly love to know the answer to.
"I didn't," she said slowly, almost to herself.
"Oh?" The Akatsuki wore a perplexed frown.
She shook her head, waves of pink strands cascading over her alarmed face. There was a time and a place for forgetting where she was and who she was with and this was not it. She refused to say any more, keeping her lips firmly sealed. She was not about to reveal information to him.
She took a few deep steadying breaths; fresh oxygen flooded through her respiratory system, calming her thoughts.
"Look, if you want me to go I'll leave," Sakura sighed.
Almost instantly, Sakura regretted saying those words. If she could snatch at them and force them back she would have done. But it was too late. He'd already heard. A few extra lines appeared on his forehead and the medic realised that she couldn't have done worse if she'd tried. Tsunade; Konoha for that matter was counting on her to help the Sand but more importantly, discover the reason behind being summoned there to administer medical treatment on a notorious criminal when there were other perfectly able medics in Suna – unless they had all caught a mysteriously virus upon the Akatsuki's capture.
No one likes being lied to and Sakura was no exception. The lie about her superior medical skills didn't cover it, not by a long shot. It was like covering an elephant with a towel. The fact that her patient had even begun to suspect that there was something amiss only strengthened her resolve to uncover the truth.
"It's ok, yeah," He mumbled.
She applied a wet cloth to his wounds, sponging away the dirt before plunging it into the bowl of steaming water once more. His ribs looked particularly nasty and he hissed in pain as the material gently pressed up against his wound.
"Sorry," Sakura apologised as she applied the cloth once again and he winced visibly.
Minutes passed in absolute silence before Deidara spoke again.
"I'm sorry about before, yeah."
Sakura just looked at him.
"I-" He paused. "I shouldn't have said-" Sakura had a sneaking suspicion that he'd never apologised to anyone before. She bit her lip, wondering what that meant. Was it wrong for her to like the possibly nonexistent meaning behind his apology?
"Do I look upset?" Sakura asked.
"No, but-"
"Well then, there's nothing to worry about," she said brightly, trying to shake off her unease. She had finished tending to his ribs and started on his arm. She was almost done.
His brow furrowed briefly, not knowing what to make of her. Sakura wasn't entirely surprised. She didn't know what to make of it either. It was almost as if she had forgotten who he was and who he was after.
A sudden movement made her flinch, but his hand was gone almost before she knew it was there. She touched a few strands of her silky locks uncertainly. Had he really just done that?
"Sand," he said, motioning to a few flaky grains which he'd just brushed out of her hair, and confirming that she hadn't just imagined it. "It gets everywhere, yeah".
Her heart hammering wildly, Sakura tied the knot on the bandage and left the room as quickly as she dared. Once outside, she leant heavily against the closed door, breathing deeply in an attempt to control her erratic thoughts.
She could still feel his hand in her hair; feel his piercing blue eyes upon her and his voice repeating itself over and over like a mantra. Sand, it gets everywhere, yeah.
The small part of her that wasn't dwelling on the scene that had just taken place, vaguely noted that the guards were watching her curiously but Sakura suspected they were just hoping she wouldn't demolish the entire wall this time.
Suddenly aware of the many pairs of eyes watching her, the Konoha medic exited the building with as much dignity as she could manage, attempting to forget the cool hand that had softly brushed her cheek.
Sakura rinsed her hands tiredly in the stone basin and dried them quickly on the soft, snowy towel – that had been carefully placed on the towel rack that morning – and watched it slip through her fingers and flutter carelessly to the floor. She made no attempt to retrieve it. Her reflection in the great oval mirror above the sink revealed how tired she was. The tell-tale shadows under her eyes were the most obvious sign but little things like the way her mouth pulled down at the corner and the way that her emerald eyes sparkled with some unknown emotion were the only indicators – to an outsider – that something was not quite right.
Was it really that noticeable? Sakura touched her face anxiously. If it was then everyone had just been too polite to mention it. She thought she had been clever at hiding her weariness but apparently not. For what felt like the hundredth time she examined her cheek, searching for signs that the Akatsuki had touched her face. Try as she might, she hadn't, couldn't forget about it.
She had spent the remainder of the afternoon locked up in her hotel room, forcing her brain to go over the facts again and again and it had only been in the last half hour that she'd come to a decision. In fact, she was certain that this was the only thing she could do right now.
Sakura took one last glance at her reflection before frowning and reaching for her make-up bag. It was important to look presentable at the very least tonight. She sighed. It was time to go.
It was much darker when the medic ventured outside once more. She must have stayed in the hotel longer than she'd thought. The chill of the desert rose up to meet her and Sakura pulled her cloak tightly about her as she set off down the street. The moon had fully risen by the time she reached the block of apartments she'd been looking for. The pale glow cast an ethereal glow on the surrounding buildings but shinobi were unperturbed by such things, she reminded herself sternly. In no time at all she'd reached the second floor of the apartment block and stood silently outside the door with a big brass "34" glued proudly to it.
Now came the tricky part. Sakura could not do this without Kakashi-sensei but how was she to let him know what without alerting Naruto? Naruto was not subtle and she needed someone with a bit more – well basically the opposite of Naruto. If he was aware of what she intended to do, he would surely come along, with or without permission. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. She would have waited until tomorrow but they would be leaving to locate the second Akatsuki and there wouldn't be time.
Sakura sighed. Well if she couldn't get anyone else to come, she'd just have to go by herself. She turned away from the door and marched off, so intent on her thoughts that she walked headlong into something soft and solid.
"Well Sakura, to what do I owe the pleasure?" A deep sounding voice rumbled from somewhere above her head.
"Kaka-sensei?" Sakura asked in disbelief, blushing furiously as she untangled herself from his arms.
"Who else did you think it was?"
"I don't know," she replied, trying to get the awkward memory of her and her sensei embracing out of her head. She forced herself to focus on more important things. It was crucial she got this right and meeting Kakashi outside certainly meant that Naruto was no longer a problem.
"Sensei, I need your h-," She swallowed. "I mean, I need to meet with the Kazekage now".
"Gaara?" Kakashi frowned. "What's wrong, Sakura?"
"I don't know if Tsunade-sama told you but I was requested by the Sand to take this mission, to heal the Akatsuki member".
"I figured as much". Her former sensei sighed deeply. "The Sand has perfectly capable medics for the job. It sounded suspicious from the start".
"I have to know why, Kaka-sensei! The Hokage only agreed to me taking this mission so I could find out why, I'm sure of it!"
"We'd have to go now," Kakashi spoke, almost as if to himself. Sakura nodded.
There was a quiet pause before he spoke once more.
"Alright," he sighed. "This had better not take too long. I still haven't finished the latest Icha Icha novel".
Sakura smiled. Paperwork or no paperwork, the time had come for her to speak to the Kazekage. Kakashi would know what to do. She didn't think she could leave these questions unanswered any longer. And Gaara had a lot to answer for.
A/N: Please review :)