Tobi woke to utter darkness, beside the slivers that broke through the cracked portions of his walls. Stillness invaded the small area, and he was unwilling to break it. The soft inhale and exhale of Sakura beside him steadied him, calmed his erratic behavior and the need to /move/. Instead, Tobi stayed still, pressed tightly to his Pretty girl's side, arm around her stomach, nose in the crook of her neck. Legs, hesitantly, were curled with her own, mixed together. It sent a thrill through Tobi, made his own breath come in harsh exhalations, though he tried to calm them, keep them quiet.
Tobi knew the importance of sleep after a serious injury, and what Sakura had endured was worse than /serious./ Should he wake her now, he could disturb the healing chakra(humming just under her skin) and disrupt the process. And while Tobi wanted to /move/ now, he wouldn't risk Sakura's life for his own gain.
Already, she's too precious to him, too deeply ingrained in his routine, a permanent spot in his life, with the possibility of instability. It hurt, but Tobi is a master at masking things, making them seem much smaller than they really are.
And if push comes to shove, Tobi has no problem defending Sakura against the rest of the Akatsuki. Should they attempt anything else, opposition from Tobi's side would be /deadly/.
Something dark and violent curls inside Tobi, taints his thoughts, darkens them. And Tobi knows, should his own power not be enough, the dark voice will help, will conquer all that Tobi himself can't. It's frightening and reassuring all at once.
Tobi's had blackouts before, has woken to utter darkness just like this, sore and bloody, but never covered in his own blood. It's no mystery what has occurred, though no one will tell Tobi what he /really/ did during those times.
Tobi thinks they're frightened of him and his power. But that would be /crazy/. Because it's not /Tobi/ that does it. It's the dark voice in his head, the one that encourages him to do the bad things.
And when Tobi doesn't, it's never a good thing.
Tobi's breath heightens slightly, speeds up as the thoughts of all that he has done swamps him, fills his mind with visions of blackened clearings, smoking bodies and the frightened faces of those around him who are still alive. It's never a pretty sight, not like his Pretty girl.
Ahh, his Pretty girl! How he'll protect her until the end of time~! Tobi's lips lift in a genuine smile, and he goes to look at her, to study the contours of her face, the elegance of her skin and bone structure, but a noise distracts him, pulls his attention away.
Outside his door is someone who is wholly unwelcome and will be...disposed of, should something occur. Tobi shake's his head. The dark voice is back now, tainting his thoughts again. Tobi doesn't like it, but...Deidara-sama is outside the door and he could be coming to take his Pretty girl away.
Under any circumstances, that is not allowed to happen.
It takes Tobi a moment to pull away fro his Pretty girl, to slip from her grasp without disturbing her and the healing chakra rushing through her blood. Standing, Tobi makes his way to the door tentatively, the dark voice rioting in the back of his head, whispering the dark insidious thoughts that it loves to supplement him.
Whimpering, Tobi pulls the door open, and before Deidara can say anything, steps outside the room, bringing the door closed softly. Twisting to face Deidara-sama, Tobi offers up a smile, hoping that whatever Deidara's here to tell him will be something good.
Tobi's hopes are stomped on within seconds.
"Kisame says he wants the brat, un. You're to bring her to the underground cell in ten minutes." Before Tobi can respond, Deidara's walking away, the classic Akatsuki cloak swirling around his feet.
The last thing Tobi remembers is darkness invading his vision, seeping across his sight in dark, malevolent swirls.