(A/N) This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Naruto world, which is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I do not claim any ownership over any of his characters or the world of Naruto. This story is my own invention and is for entertainment only. This is rated M for a few reasons: language, violence, themes of abuse, sex and more. Thank you for reading, please enjoy!
The room had become a blueprint burnt into her mind; it seemed unlikely that even one detail had escaped her notice. The four dingy walls that had become her new prison cell were a sober reflection of her now dull existence. The floor was an excellent place to lay when the bed got to warm, the cement was cold and had precisely twenty-three cracks nineteen of them larger than 6 centimeters. When staring at the cracks got boring there were always the fourteen sculptures which lined the walls of her solitude.
Deidara had indeed been busy these past three years, statues of all different shapes and sizes lined the wall ranging from the size of a teacup all the way to a horse. Three spiders, four hawks, two centipedes, five owls; Deidara had always been fond of sculpting owls. She liked running her hand over the surface of the clay, taking in every inch of the textured surface. She would wonder how many hours he had poured into them, what was he thinking about and how those weird tongues in his hands probably helped him. That thought always sent her back to the bed under the worn green sheets. They had four unidentifiable stains; Yatsuko preferred not to think of what they may be. Since her confinement in the room, the door had sustained twelve dents from Yatsukos more frantic moments. For whatever reason, that damn door wouldn't budge.
When he was gone, which was often, she had no choice but to find something to occupy her mind. Counting cracks, stains, statues and other imperfections was better entertainment than nothing. She now split her days between obsessive counting and near endless sleep peppered with moments of frenzied rage and desire to escape. It wasn't much of a life, but it was something. She needed something, no matter how insignificant.
It had been nearly two weeks since Deidara had brought her back to the Akatsuki base. It felt more like a month; she had no real way of knowing. The day after he brought her to his room he went on a mission, at least Deidara had tied her hands in front of her body, so she'd be able to at eat and drink on her own while he was away. Though she was sworn to stay put if he untied her they both knew that was a lie. The first second she got she planed on breaking down the door and finding a way to sneak out. It was risky, but the risk was worth it.
When he wasn't out on missions things were almost bearable, at least she could sit in silence with him and watch him sculpt. It was better entertainment then counting mysterious cracks and stains. He had become much faster; she suspected it had something to do with with the abnormal mouths he now had in the palms of his hands. She hated the sucking, slapping, dribbling sound they made; it was nauseating. It was nice to watch his face though; she loved seeing him fixated on his craft.
Unfortunately, all she could do now was watch him, silently, patiently hoping he would make living there more bearable. Deidara refused to untie her or let her leave the room for any reason. It was beyond humiliating, she felt more like a caged animal than a human being. Deidara continued to say it was for her own good, but Yatsuko didn't believe him. She didn't know how many more seconds she could stare at cracks in the floor or peeling paint. If this was life now, death might be preferable.
Yatsuko sat up in bed suddenly, covered in a cold sweat, the sheets clinging to her damp flesh. Her stomach began churning at the realization that she was in fact still in the room. With a shaky breath, she slumped up against the wall and headboard. As her eyes met Deidaras sleeping form, they smoldered like the ashes after a fire, dusky but heated. The hatred she had for him before had only grown after her forced confinement. She brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly while continuing to eye him.
His soft snores filled the room, Yatsuko savored the sound, even though she couldn't stand him anything was better than relentless silence. It must've been late when he returned from his mission, Yatsuko hadn't noticed him come in. She knit her brows still pondering what he was gaining from keeping her there. Deidara hardly spoke to her on the rare occasion he was around. He almost acted as though she were invisible; that was one of the things she hated most about him. As much as she despised him, he was the only human contact she was getting. It would've been nice if he did something other than sculpt or sleep.
"Stop staring at me. I'm trying to sleep, hmm" Deidara mumbled, his eyes still heavy with sleep. She glared down at him, her gaze piercing him like daggers. "What?" He muttered, rubbing his eyes as he slumped lazily against the headboard giving her a dazed look. Yatsuko scoffed before giving him a small shove; he had some nerve!
"All you have to say to me is 'what'? How about you tell me what you plan on doing with me? It's been, what, two weeks since took me to this awful place, you keep telling me there's 'things I don't understand' then refuse to explain them to me, it's infuriating! I'm not a child anymore! You think I..." Her voice trailed off as she noticed his bare, sculpted chest. Deidara yawned not bothering to cover his mouth as he continued to gaze at Yatsuko seemingly unphased by her outburst. They had been sharing a bed whenever he was around, but she hadn't seen him shirtless yet, well at least not in years.
Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. A broad set of stitches caught her eye surrounded by some seal marking, at least she assumed it was a seal. Yatsukos' heart sunk into her stomach. Whatever it was, it was unnatural; she hated seeing it deface his once perfect body. She hated that she helped him do that to himself. Though he refused to speak about it, she knew that, and those weird palms of his and this were because of that accursed kinjutsu scroll.
"Wh-What is that?" She asked shakily. At first, Deidara merely shrugged, casting her a look as though she was crazy, "Don't give me that look, you know what I'm talking about!" Yatsuko snapped, "That thing_ Those stitches on your chest that marking, what are they?" Deidara glanced down at his chest; he ran his fingers along the stitched gash gingerly. "It looks painful..." She cringed slightly, though he seemed mostly unbothered by it.
"Well, it's nothing for you to worry about, it's fine." He said flatly, hastily changing the subject. Yatsuko half expected him to do that, but it was still frustrating. "Well sorry to disappoint you but, this kinda is the plan. Yatsuko, I know may you think I'm just doing this to punish you, but like I've said a hundred god damn times already, I'm keeping you in here to protect you, hmm." His words crept through her, of course, he was going to repeat the same thing he always did. "Listen it hasn't been so bad so far. I'm feeding you, sheltering you, giving you, well, some clothing and a nice warm bed to sleep in at night. You don't even have to do anything for it, hmm."
"Yeah you're right I don't do anything sleep, eat and shit all of which you make me do in this tiny room. It's disgusting and humiliating!" She snarled bitterly. "I'm even worse than a slave since I don't do a god damn thing. I sit here alone; hands tied counting the cracks in the floor. I feel even more useless then Tetsu, at least he can use the restroom by himself."
"What, would you rather be wandering around the compound? You already met Hidan and Sasori-no-danna, what they weren't deranged enough for you? They're not even the worst, not by a long shot, hmm." Deidara said, irritation ringing clear in his voice. She knew he thought she was ungrateful. To him, he was providing all these things for her, and all she could do was complain about it. "I remember when the mere sight of me brought a smile to your face." He mumbled to himself bitterly, "You used to respect and value everything I said_."
"Yeah well, a lot changed after you decided to blow up our home village and leave me behind to deal with the consequences. You expect me to feel the same way after you did that? You're more conceited than I thought." She seethed. "Where do you think I'd rather be right now?" He just shrugged, staring at her blankly. "Home, I want to go back home. I hate it here; I hate you for keeping me here!" Yatsuko shook her head a frustrated cry escaping her lips, Deidara glanced over at her his expression difficult to read. "Honestly as vile as that man Hidan is his company would be preferable to you and these four walls. If he kills me then so be it." An evident scowl formed on his lips at that last comment.
"How many time do I have to repeat myself to you?!" He shouted while propping himself up with his hands; it was plain he was beginning to lose his temper. "You will never be able to go back home. Pein-sama would never allow a prisoner to leave and risk leaking Akatsuki secrets. I don't want to talk to you about this every time we speak, hmm!"
"What secrets! I don't even know where I am right now! All I ever do is sit around and stare at the walls. You haven't told me a thing! I don't know how many of you there are, or what your goal is; I know nothing! If this is truly my life now, then kill me and just be done with it. I'd rather die than spend another second arguing with you in this disgusting, awful room." Yatsuko let out a scream of defeat "Damn you! What the hell gives you the right to treat me like this?! I never once said I wanted to be here, never! So stop trying to act as though you're doing this for me as some grand and requested favor, I never even wanted your 'help' in the first place. You should've just killed me in that cave; it would've been less cruel than having me caged away like some animal." Deidara furrowed his brow a frown playing across his face. Yatsuko fixed her gaze on the bare wall adjacent to her, fighting the urge to cry. With any luck, he'd blow her up or something. Without warning, Deidara snatched her wrist bindings and roughly pulled her close beside him. She continued staring at the wall behind him, not caring enough to give him any more attention.
"Look at me." He demanded, Yatsuko ignored his request and merely cast her gaze towards the ceiling. "Yatsu, stop acting like a foolish little girl, just look at me." She continued to withhold her gaze, Deidara brought his hand up to her cheek and gently cocked it towards him.
Reluctantly her eyes flickered to his, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of him. It was a look she hadn't seen him often wear if she didn't know any better she might have thought he felt guilty. He stared into her eyes intently before pressing his forehead tenderly against hers. Yatsuko dare not move; her cheeks began to burn with embarrassment, he was so close, too close. Deidara let out a long sullen sigh, pushing his head a little harder against hers.
"I'm sorry." He mumbled it was so soft and quick she doubted she would've heard it if she were even an inch further away. Yatsuko swallowed back the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Deidara was not particularly known for giving apologies of any sort. She couldn't remember the last time she heard him say 'I'm sorry.' "For everything." He pushed a curl of matted hazelnut hair from her face, allowing his hand to linger in her long greasy tresses. Yatsuko peered at him silently, her heart fluttering at the warmth of his touch. Her cheeks continued to flush red betraying her true feelings for him. Whether it was the deprivation of human contact or the man himself, she wanted to hold him and be held by him. "I want you to trust me again; I need you too. Yatsu, you have to believe I never wanted to leave you behind. I never wanted to keep you trapped in here and I sure as hell don't want to kill you." His voice cracked, Deidara embraced her firmly hoping she hadn't noticed the tear running down his face. Yatsuko leaned her head against his bare chest, hardly caring about his mutilated torso anymore.
The warmth of his embrace threatened to pull her in entirely. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't bring herself to hate him completely. She shut her eyes taking in the warmth of his flesh against her, the feeling of safety that came from his strong arms. His scent was still familiar and warm, a mix of clay pine and sweat.
"I swear I don't want to keep you locked in here. I don't see any better option right now; please stop making this harder than it has to be, hmm."
"Dei, I'm begging you I can't sit in here anymore, I'm losing my mind." She hadn't even noticed her tears wetting the flesh of his chest. Yatsuko pressed her face deeper into him, not wanting him to see her cry like this. "I don't care what I have to do to get out of here I'll do anything. If you've ever cared about me, even a little, you won't keep me in here a second longer."
"Stop crying onna." Deidara pushed her off and turned his back to her suddenly before getting out of bed. Yatsuko huffed, she wasn't pleased he continued to call her 'Yatsu', she certainly preferred it to 'onna'. This wasn't the first time she had begged for him to let her go, this was nothing new. He always reacted poorly to her request. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you. You can never leave!" He snapped at her, but his face quickly softened when he saw her crying on the bed. Deidara groaned, running his hand through his golden locks. "I didn't mean to snap like that...just stop crying, come here." Yatsuko cautiously moved closer to him. "I'm going to do something I'll probably regret." He sighed shaking his head slightly, "I'm taking your wrist bindings off, but you have to swear you won't do anything stupid, hmm."
"What exactly would you classify as stupid?" She asked coyly.
"Stop joking around." He said sternly. "You know like don't punch me or anyone else, keep those freakish hands to yourself. Keep your head down, don't talk to anyone unless you have too, got it, hmm?"
"Yes, I swear I won't hit anyone. Just get these fucking thing off of me right now." Yatsuko eagerly held her wrist out towards him; it wasn't much but with the use of her hands she could hopefully find something better to keep her busy. He gave her a stern look before slicing the rope with a kunai. "Thank you." Without thinking she threw her arms around him. Deidara began to pat her back aloofly.
"Don't make me regret it; now you should probably go take a shower or something. You stink, hmm." Yatsukos face flushed red before she instinctively punched Deidara in her arm so hard it knocked him off the bed. He sat up and glared at her with a huff. "What did I just say Yatsuko!" She averted her gaze and pulled her hands to her chest, hoping he wouldn't tie her up again.
"Sorry old habits die hard. It's so hard not to punch you when you say stupid shit like that." He continued glaring before his lips cracked into a smirk, and started laughing. Yatsuko didn't know why, but it made her chuckle too. For the first time since she had been with him again things almost felt the same way, they used to.
"Well just don't do it again, shit that hurt" He rubbed his arm, casting her a stubborn look. "Come on let's go, hmm." Deidara grabbed a spare outfit from his closet and pressed it into her arms along with a rough gray towel. "Just keep your nose down and follow my lead, hmm." Yatsuko gave him a small nod.
"Oh wait, let me just get a shirt on!" She gasped realizing she was still walking around in nothing more than a soiled bra and pants two sizes too big. He caught her wrist, before pulling her towards the door.
"Forget that no one cares and I'm not washing a shirt for you stink up by wearing for three minutes, hmm." Yatsuko blushed as he led her out into the hall in nothing more that a filthy old bra and black slacks. She pulled the bundle of clothes up, covering her chest the best she could.
It was as dark and barren as she remembered, Yatsuko looked down the seemingly unending amount of corridors. She wondered if she could even find a way out of this place if she tried. Deidara grasped her wrist once more, seemingly unhappy with the pace she was using. Yatsuko slightly winced, her arms were still raw with rope burn. After all, they had been bound together for over two weeks.
"Well, well, well can't say I ever thought I'd see your face again. Well not in one piece at least." Yatsuko cringed a the familiar voice; her eyes darted over to him. It was Hidan, looking as malicious and cocky as ever. The thought of what he had done to her flashed into her mind. As she looked him over her fists clenched involuntarily. "You look like absolute shit, ugh" He took a repulsed step back upon catching a whiff of her, pinching his nose mockingly. "Smell like it too." Yatsuko went to open her mouth, Deidara shot her an icy glare before stepping between Hidan and herself. "Look at that, why would you cut her hands free? You must be either soft or a fucking moron, or both." Hidan laughed callously at his bad joke.
"She isn't for you to leer at, I felt it necessary to lock her away lest I come back to a desecrated corpse. It makes no difference whether her hands are bound or not, she wouldn't make it out of here alive either way, and she knows it. This place is a labyrinth of tunnels, paired with the unbelievable amount of traps; it would be a miracle if she even made it to the front door. Besides if on the off chance she made it outside, she would be so disoriented I doubt she'd get very far before one of us found and killed her." Yatsuko took a nervous breath, pressing her back against the stone wall. He was right; there was no way out. Of course, she had already known that deep down, hearing him say made it all seem so real and dire. "She's a kunoichi from Iwagakure. They don't raise idiots over there I would know. The girl knows if she wants to live, she best do as I say, hmm." Yatsuko glanced up at him, his cold and obnoxious tone making her feel uncomfortable, as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Hidan seemed unmoved by his words.
"Hah, nice to see you still bare my handy work, it's too bad I didn't have time to leave you with something else to remember me by." He said referring to her left shoulder. Yatsuko gnawed her cheek; it was becoming more and more difficult to stay silent and not bash this guys' face in. Deidara reached out and grabbed her wrist firmly. It was clear he sensed her mounting anger. "Oyy, Deidara-chan it wasn't very nice of you to steal my sacrifice away like that_" Yatsukos' jaw dropped, she was absolutely shocked with the demeaning was Hidan had just addressed him. They were part of the same organization right? What made him think he could be so condescending.
"Shut up I've heard enough out of you, idiot." Deidara barked promptly cutting Hidan off, "Come on Yatsu, forget about this deranged cultist." He continued to yank her behind him, leaving Hidan behind only his malicious laugh echoing in the halls. "God I hate him, come on hurry up we're here." He pushed her into a room. It was large with four practically open showers. Deidara started the water and looked over at her expectantly. "Well come on, get in, hmm." Yatsuko stood there shifting nervously under his gaze. "What? Stop fidgeting and get in the damn shower already."
"Was all that true?" He quirked a brow, clearly confused by what she meant "You know, the traps, the fact one of you will kill me if I try to escape." Yatsuko felt dumb after saying it, of course, they would kill her if she left, that was the type of men they were. She swallowed back her tears, staring intently at Deidara. He shut his eyes before letting out a long sigh.
"Yatsu, you promised me you wouldn't do anything dumb. I untied you; I let you out of the room. Don't you dare even think about trying to escape!" His voice raised unexpectantly. Yatsuko just nodded, that was all he had to say. If she ever even thought of escaping she would have to be ready to face him down and kill him this time. "Alright enough with the forlorn look, get in the shower already, hmm," Deidara said defensively while crossing his arms over his chest as he sat on the floor, overseeing her.
Yatsukos' cheeks flushed red under his gaze. She shifted awkwardly, hanging the clothes and towel outside of the shower stall. To her dismay, Deidaras gaze hadn't broken.
"Uhm... Do you have to watch me?" She asked shyly "I just... I mean I just thought I could have some privacy."
"You don't want to be alone, and now you want privacy, make up your mind. If I wanted to see you naked don't you think I would've done it already?" He huffed at her, yet he still didn't turn away. "Trust me I could care less about whats under that smelly outfit of yours." She crossed her arms over her chest, quickly growing weary of his nasty attitude.
"If you have no interest in seeing me naked then it should be no issue for you to leave. I can assure you if I was going to try and escape it certainly won't be while I'm naked and wet." He rolled his eyes before turning his back to her. "I suppose that works too..." She muttered, bitterly to herself. Yatsuko quickly stripped her clothes making sure his eyes were still where they were supposed to be.
"Oh man, that feels so great." She gasped softly as the warm stream of water touched her flesh. She held her hair under the showerhead rinsing grimy feel from her body. Everything felt like such a luxury from the cheap shampoo/conditioner to the bar of soap which seemed to have multiple strange hairs embedded in it. If it hadn't been for Deidaras' annoyingly frequent sighs, she could've stayed in there forever.
Before he completely lost his patience, she shut off the water and quickly got dressed. It was a pair of simple black trousers, the same as before paired with a black mid-drift with mesh around the collar and stomach. The shirt was to tight and the pants too long, but it would do. She stared down at her old soiled outfit not wanting to touch it.
"You can look now." She whispered, Deidara quickly turned to face her his lips turned slightly downward. He was annoyed about something.
"Took you long enough," He criticized, Yatsuko crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn't fully trust herself not to hit him. Deidara sighed, seeming slightly defeated "How do you feel, hmm?" He asked trying to sound disinterested. Dropping her arms to her side, Yatsuko relented giving him a small smile.
"Not completely awful, which is a first since I've been here. Thank you." Deidara grinned at her. Her heart fluttered wildly; it was times like this when she felt weakest. He would offer these glimpses of the man she once loved, and it was almost enough to make her crumble. How could she forgive him for all he had done? Up until thirty minutes ago, he kept her captive in his room. Why was it when he gave her that look all logic swiftly flew out the window. That grin, the way his eyes beamed at her all framed by a halo of golden locks, why was it almost enough to make her lose herself?
"Well, you certainly look nicer." Though his tone wasn't the friendliest, Yatsuko knew him well. She knew what he meant to say was 'You look good.' He was still as prideful and infuriating as ever, so why did she want to kiss him?
"Thanks." She replied flatly. It was shameful; she must've been a fool falling for the same man twice. She couldn't allow it to happen. If being rejected once is awful, it would be mortifying if it happened again at the hands of the same guy. There wasn't much she had left, but she still had a shred of dignity and intended to cling to it until her dying breath.
(A/N) Hello everyone as always thank you for reading hope you're all enjoying so far! Special thanks to Minalibelula for the awesome review and to answer your question, yes! I actually do plan to have one from his perspective two chapters from now. Depending on how it goes I may do more, but so far theres at least two chapters/sections of chapters that are from his POV. Anyway, as always guys and gals please leave a review and let me know what you think! Thank you all so much for reading!
