A/N: Hello all of my lovely readers. I just want to apologize for the late update. I had a lot going on with school and health issues, etc. But since it's summer, I finally have the free time allowed for writing for fun. ^_^ *hands you a cookie* I hope you enjoy this chapter. Also, at about halfway through and at a part near the end, the story is a little bloody/graphic. Just thought I would forewarn, so don't say that I didn't tell you so -3- Anyway, like always, please review/favorite/follow. Enjoy~!

Chapter 3: A Turn for the Worse

~Deidara POV~

I sat on the edge of the bed, watching Kasumi's fitful sleep. Her face was flushed, sweat causing her hair to mat together. Sighing, I place a damp rag on her forehead. She's had a bad fever the last couple of days, and we're supposed to be leaving on a mission in a couple of hours. I stroke her hair. She's going to be turning ten years old in a couple of days too. It's hard to believe that it has been over six months since she's become a ninja, and nearly a year since we first met.

A frown crosses my face as Kasumi begins coughing. As much as I don't want to, I'll have to leave for the mission without her. My fist clenches as I remember the shadowy figure that I had spotted on the day of Kasumi's genin exam. I've spotted it several other times during the course of the past months, but I can never catch a glimpse of who the actual person is. It worries me to no end.

"Onii-tan?" I hear Kasumi whisper, her voice cracked.

"Hai, Kasumi-chan, un," I murmur, blushing at the childish pronunciation.

"Gomen nasai. I wish that I hadn't gotten sick so that I would be able to go on my first mission with onii-tan. I've really been looking forward to it for a long time…" She pauses as she begins coughing again.

I hold her hand in mine as she gets her breath back, her eyes drooping.

"When…" Kasumi yawns. "When onii-tan gets back from the mission, we'll have a big party, because onii-tan will have caught the bad guys, and onii-tan will be a hero…" Another yawn escapes her mouth as her eyes close. Very softly, she whispers, "Onii-tan is my hero."

I sigh, stroking the hair behind her ears. "And we'll have a party because it'll be your birthday, too, un," I murmur, placing a kiss to her cheek. A small purr rumbles in her throat. Chuckling, I stand up, picking up my bag of supplies. "I have to leave now, un, but Tsuchikage-sensei will be here so if you need anything, just ask him for it, okay? And don't worry. If anything happens to you while I'm gone, I promise that I'll do anything and everything in my power to get you back."

"Hai," she murmurs, squeezing my hand.

"I'll be back in a couple of days, un. Try not to cause too much trouble without me, un," I say, smirking slightly. Despite my light words, worry weighs heavy in my heart as I walk out of the room and out of the house to where my team's sensei and the other members, apart from Kasumi, are waiting.

One of the guys lightly punches my shoulder as I walk up to the group. "She'll be okay, dude. So you ready to kick some rogue shinobi butt?" he laughs.

I laugh along half-heartedly. "Yeah," I mutter. As we set out, I can't help but to glance back at Kasumi's bedroom window, smiling a little when I see her hand raised as she waves good-bye. Raising my own, I continue walking with my group, trying to shrug off the deep sense of foreboding rising in the pit of my stomach.

~Unknown POV~

I continue to watch from the shadows of the forest, suppressing my chakra levels to remain unnoticed from the small group of ninja waiting outside of the house where my target lies. The blond boy, known as Deidara, exits the house and joins the group. The linger around the house for several more minutes. As they begin to leave, the blond turns around, waving towards the house. I can just make out a dark shape in one of the windows, waving back. I smirk. Target located. Now we just have to wait for the brats to leave so that we can lure the Tsuchikage out of the house long enough to reclaim the female. It's been a grueling six months of spying and tailing the female and her companion, and it is all about to pay off.

After several more minutes, one of the scouts returns to where I am concealed. "The team is out of the vicinity, sir," she murmurs, lazily saluting.

"Good," I respond. "Now we just have to wait for Phase 2 to begin."

A few moments of silence ensue before several loud chain explosions occur in the distance, in the direction of Iwagakure. A smirk plasters itself across my face as I watch a group of Iwa ninja knock urgently on the door of the house. The Tsuchikage answers the door. My group and I watch as he hurriedly leaves with three of the four ninjas after a few moments inside. The other one remains in the house, most likely in order to remain watch over the Tsuchikage's charge.

I turn to the female ninja beside me. "It looks like you'll get to have your fun after all."

She gives me a lazy smirk before heading off toward the house. As she enters, I send out a quick telepathic message. "My lord, the target has almost been acquired. All is progressing smoothly."

"Excellent. You shall be rewarded for your loyalty when you return with the girl."

"Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord. You're as gracious as ever," I respond, ending the conversation as my companion motions for me to enter the house.

~Kasumi POV~

I raise my hand to wave to Deidara out the window as he walks away with the rest of our team. He turns around and returns the wave before following the others off into the forest. I sigh, slumping back down onto the bed and sipping at the cup of tea that Deidara left on the table along with a plate of dango. Once finished, I wrap the blanket tightly around my body, trying to suppress the chills and aches in my body, which stop as my body begins to sweat profusely as a result of the fever. I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, stumbling a bit as I walk over to Deidara's dresser. Slipping my shirt off, I take out one of Deidara's t-shirts and pull it over my head, breathing in his scent on the shirt before curling back up in bed. Yeah, the shirt's too big, hanging loosely off my shoulders and stopping at mid-thigh, but the smell helps comfort me since Deidara will be away for a couple of days. I yawn as the little clay cat that Deidara made me curls up on the pillow next to me.

I don't know how long I was asleep, but I'm awoken by several loud explosions. Grabbing my clay kitten and ninja headband, I stagger out of my room and down the hall, peeking around the corner as a group of four Iwa shinobi with cat masks speak hurriedly with the Tsuchikage. They seem distressed. My ears lift as I try to hear what they are saying. The ninjas become quite as they notice me standing behind the corner.

Clearing my throat, I whisper, "Tsuchikage-sensei? What's happening?"

"Iwagakure is under attack," he says sternly.

My eyes widen as I grip my headband tighter. "B-But who? How? What about Deidara-niisan and the group?" My ears flatten against my head in fear.

"We don't know who it is, but it appears as though they've been plotting this for a long time. They seem to have infiltrated the whole ninja structure over the last several months at the very least; they planted a series of explosive triggers throughout the village in order to create a chain reaction in an attempt to destroy the village," the main ANBU member says, a white and red cat mask covering her face. She turns to me. "Your friends should be okay, given they don't go near the fighting and stay on their mission until the fighting calms down."

I nod nervously, fear spiking through my heart. "Please stay away from the fighting, Deidara. I don't want you to get hurt. Stay away. For me," I silently pray.

"Kasumi." I look up at the Tsuchikage. He places one of his hands on my shoulder. "I need to go to the village and help with matters there. I need you to stay here with Anazaki," he says, motioning to the female ANBU with the white and red cat mask, "to make sure that you stay safe, especially when you're ill. Since you know that Deidara would try to kill me if anything happened to you," he chuckles. His face turns serious. "We must be going now," the Tsuchikage says, glancing at the other three members.

"Stay safe, Sensei," I murmur. "Minna."

They nod as they rush out the door, heading in the direction of the village. Awkward silence ensues as Anazaki and I are left alone, until I start coughing and sneezing again.

"Go in the kitchen and get something to drink." She pauses, tilting her head to one side in a very cat-like manner. "It would be best if you stayed hidden in there. We're about to have an unfriendly visitor."

I nod, hurrying off into the kitchen as Anazaki draws a katana from a shoulder sheath and drops into a defensive position. I quickly grab a glass and fill it with water, drinking it before hiding in one of the secret hidden passageways that leads from the kitchen to the room at the entrance where Anazaki is. Pressing up against the panel and looking through the crack, I notice a black-haired woman standing in front of Anazaki. She has a ninja headband with a music note on it wrapped around her right thigh. The design looks familiar, but I can't seem to place it.

All of a sudden, the black-haired woman partially morphs into a spider, eight spider-like legs extending from her torso as a large spider is summoned to attack Anazaki. She's able to dodge the first couple of attacks until the black-haired woman uses some sort of jutsu to cover the floor around her with spider webs. I watch in horror as Anazaki attempts to avoid the attacks of the woman while being visibly slowed by a genjutsu, but when she's about to dodge another attack, the spider knocks her over onto the webbed floor, pinning her against the ground.

"It's been a long time, Anazaki. I knew I would find you again eventually. It's high time that I repaid you for destroying all of my clan apart from myself…and my son." The black-haired woman smirks. "It seems you've gotten rash and cocky with your new position as an ANBU member." The summoned spider leans closer to Anazaki.

A small gasp escapes from my throat, causing the spider and the spider-lady to glance over at where I'm hidden. I quickly cover my mouth with my hands.

"KASUMI! GET OUT OF HERE!" Anazaki yells, struggling against the binds of the web.

"Kasumi," the woman purrs, rolling my name around on her tongue as though savoring the taste of it. "So that's what the blond brat decided to name her. My lord will be pleased with that name."

"My lord? Wasn't that the title that…? Oh, no." Eyes wide, I start backing up in the small passageway, shaking. "I don't want to go back to him," I think, unconsciously letting out a whimper in fear.

I hear the woman chuckle in amusement. "Finish her off," she orders the spider.

Cowering against the wall, I stare in horror as the large spider lunges down, burying its fangs into Anazaki's abdomen and ripping it open, sending blood splatters across the room. I grimace as the smell of blood assaults my nose. I try to hurry out of the passage, back to the kitchen. Slipping out of the passage, I creep along the island in the center, hoping to stay concealed as I attempt to reach the hallway that leads to my room. Hearing the sound of footsteps, I make a break for the hall, but I end up colliding with a pair of legs, sending me sprawling across the floor and dropping my Iwa headband and clay kitten.

Looking up, I see the black-haired woman standing above me, a lazy smirk on her face. "You thought that it would be that easy to get away? Foolish child. Don't you know that your 'father' wants you to return?"

I shake my head as I back away, the kitten following after me. Standing up, I continue to back away, heading toward the hallway that leads to Deidara's art room. As I'm about to turn and run, I notice my ninja headband laying near the woman's foot, making me hesitate. I don't want to leave without it.

She notices my hesitation, looking down near her foot. Still smirking, she lifts her foot and places her heel on top of the headband. My eyes widen at her actions. "If you come with me without a fight, I won't crush your precious little headband."

I silently shake my head. "The headband isn't worth the loss of my freedom…again."

Scowling, she places more pressure under her heel until the headband shatters. Tears threaten to overflow my eyes. I throw a fireball jutsu at her as I dash down the hall to the art room, locking the door behind me. My body is shaking, and the shirt I'm wearing is drenched in sweat. I clutch my head as a wave of dizziness passes through me, starting another coughing fit. Looking around the room, a sinking feeling fills my chest: there's no way out. I could try to hide in the fireplace, but that would be too obvious and the scary lady would be able to find me.

Looking towards the wall, I notice the bags of explosive clay. I hurry over, taking a handful. I mix my chakra with it and add it to the clay kitten, causing my chakra and Deidara's chakra to mix.

Footsteps echo outside in the hallway, causing bile to rise in my throat at the mere thought of the woman. "Kasumi," she calls, walking closer to the door. "Come out, come out." The door rattles on its hinges. "Now, that's not nice, Kasumi. You don't want Lord Orochimaru to become angry, do you?"

I flatten my ears against my head, my tail swishing angrily in the air behind me. Taking the clay creature that's in my hand, I place it against the wall that connects to outside. Placing a protective barrier around myself, I form a series of hand seals before yelling one final word. "Katsu!"

I hear the woman yell a stream of curses as the wall explodes, in turn causing the bags of explosive clay lining the other walls to combust as well. The force of the explosion knocks me off my feet, causing me to be blown out of the house through the opening. I land awkwardly in the grass, scratches covering my body from the debris and the force of the explosion. I let out another cough as smoke rises from the burning portion of the building.

I manage to shakily stand up before running in the direction of where Deidara's team had disappeared to earlier. Stumbling over a tree root, I fall to my knees, my dizziness returning. The sound of a tree branch cracking causes my ears and head to raise, looking in the direction the sound came from. A teenage boy with ash-grey hair and onyx eyes wearing a pair of black-rimmed circular glasses stands in front of me. At least six other ninjas stand behind him.

I swallow with fear, shivers running down my spine as he steps forward, kneeling down to cup my chin with one of his hands and forcing me to stand up. I slap his hand away, narrowing my eyes at him only to stumble forward into his arms.

"Tsk. Look at you, barely able to stand in your condition like this," he murmurs, tightening his hold as I begin coughing again, blushing at his proximity. "You didn't really think you'd get away, did you, Kasumi?" he whispers in my ear.

My ears flatten against my head as I weakly struggle to escape his grasp before collapsing into his arms once again.

"That's a good girl," he says, petting my hair before picking me up, holding me against his chest bridal-style.

"Deidara," I whisper, spotting the familiar blond head as I glance sadly back through the trees at the burning house that I had called home for the past year, before my eyes slide close, enveloping my mind with dark, fever-twisted dreams.

~Deidara POV~

"Sensei, un. It feels like we've been going in circles for hours," I complain.

"Oh, come on, Dei!" Tsubasa, one of my "friends," exclaims. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"No. I believe Deidara may be right," Sensei murmurs. "We somehow got trapped in a genjutsu."

I smirk at Tsubasa. "Told you, un."

He sticks his tongue out at me, making me roll my eyes.

"Shut up, both of you," Sensei mutters. He takes out five kunai, hurling them in various directions. A grunt comes from up in one of the trees, a body falling out of it and landing on the ground with a thud. A kunai is impaled through his chest right above the heart. The landscape shimmers as it returns to how its supposed to look.

Several loud explosions are heard in the distance, coming from the direction of the village.

"Shit," Sensei mutters, grabbing his kunai, wiping the blood off on his pant leg. "Come on. The mission can wait a bit longer," he says as we begin running back towards the village.

I feel a weird tugging sensation, almost like my chakra is being altered. Another chakra feels like it's mixing with mine; a familiar chakra at that. That's when I remember the little clay kitten that I left with Kasumi. Dread pools in my stomach.

"C-Can we stop by the house and check on Kasumi, un?" I ask hesitantly.

"We don't have time-" Tsubasa starts before Sensei cuts him off.

"I think it would be safer if we did that. The Tsuchikage may still be there, and he could explain the situation. Even if he isn't there, we could stay at the house until he does return." He stares at Tsubasa. "It's better than rushing blindly into a situation and risking annihilation."

Tsubasa sulks, playing with one of his kunai. He's muttering something under his breath about how Sensei never takes his side, but I drown out the noise as the weird feeling in my chest suddenly dissipates. However, the relief I feel doesn't last long as a large explosion sounds from the direction of the house.

"Damn it, un!" I exclaim, running as fast as I can towards the house, ignoring the calls from Tsubasa and our sensei.

Upon reaching the clearing, I stop dead in my tracks. Part of the house is in burning ruins. The front door is busted open. Debris is scattered around the perimeter of the house. As beautiful as the dancing flames look, my concern for Kasumi overrides all of my artistic notions. Sensei has already run into the house, Tsubasa running after him after he gives me a light punch on the shoulder, spurring me on toward the house.

As we enter the house, Tsubasa runs outside, promptly vomiting up any substance that was in his stomach. I cover my mouth and nose with my hand, trying not to copy my companion. On the floor lays a large, shriveled, burnt-up spider carcass. Lying next to said object is one of the members of the Iwagakure ANBU unit; her abdomen is torn open, her bowels strewn and laying outside her body, blood everywhere. Sensei is kneeling beside her head, having removed her mask and is speaking to her.

"What happened here, Anazaki?" he asks.

"Iwa was attacked. My group came and told Tsuchikage. The others left with him but I stayed. Had to watch after the girl. Then a member of the spider clan we mostly eliminated arrived. She attacked me with her summon and then went after Kasumi. Toward the kitchen." She pauses gasping for breath. "Don't know where either are now. There was an explosion. Don't know where either are. Or if either are alive. Need to find her." The red-headed ANBU woman pauses, coughing up a large amount of blood. "I'm sorry. I failed. To protect her."

Sensei strokes her hair, whispering soothing words until Anazaki's breathing slows. Then it stops altogether, her eyes glassing over and losing the glow associated with life. Sensei places his hand over her eyes, moving it downwards and closing the eyes of his friend… Of his lover.

"Come," he mutters, heading toward the kitchen. I follow behind him, Tsubasa reluctantly trailing behind us as well.

The smoke is heavier here, but it is easy to see the burn marks on the wall along with the singed tips of large spider legs laying on the floor. However, a dark blue piece of fabric near them catches my attention. Kneeling down, I rub the fabric between my fingers. Metal fragments are scattered next to it. "Kasumi's forehead protector," I mumble, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes as I grasp the fabric in my hand. Looking up, I notice that Sensei has already left the room, heading towards the epicenter of the fire, putting it out along the way. Scorch marks are visible where the flames once lapped at the wooden structure. I follow the path, already knowing where it will lead me: to my art room.

Only a few stray flames linger along the hall, the others already having been extinguished. Sensei kneels next to a black-haired woman that is badly burnt; spider legs protrude from her chest and abdomen.

"Tell me what happened," mutters Sensei, a kunai pressed against the woman's throat. "Where's the girl?"

A wry laugh escapes her throat. "You won't find her. I came here trying to take her back to her true home, but she refused, saying something about her freedom was more important. Ran and locked herself in that room. When I tried opening the door, she proceeded to blow the room up. No way she could have survived the impact of the explosion from in there, considering I'm barely alive as it is now." She chuckles to herself, as if her words are an inside joke.

"Where's Kasumi, un?" I growl.

She scowls at me. "Don't you get it, you blond brat. She's dead. Blew herself up. She's dust and ashes by now. Burnt to a crisp. Unrecognizable." She begins laughing manically, continuing until Sensei severs her head with his kunai.

"I don't believe her, un," I mutter, pushing past Sensei and searching the burnt remains of my former art room. Nothing. I storm out, going to my bedroom, feeling like it's the day that Kasumi first summoned that earth dragon. I search around the room desperately, stopping to notice that my favorite shirt is missing from my dresser, replaced with the one Kasumi had been wearing earlier that day. Nothing else is out of place. I hurry out of the room, tears on the brink of spilling. I head out of the house, barely taking notice of the two carcasses near the front entrance in the house. My feet carry me to the little secluded field where I had watched Kasumi perform the summoning dance to summon the earth dragon. Stopping at the edge, I almost expect to see her dancing there. I walk to the middle of the field, turning in a circle. All at once, my emotions overpower my senses, and I fall to the ground, still grasping the one reminder that I have of Kasumi as tears flow freely for the first time since my parents were killed. Only one thought is coherent in my mind as I curl into a ball in the grass: Kasumi is gone. And she's never coming back.

A/N: Dramatic irony!

Whoever is able to guess correctly who the person of the ~Unknown POV~ is will get a cookie, virtual hug, and a shout-out in the next chapter! Enjoy~!