Walking groggily around the perimeter, Tobi let out a big yawn, rubbing his face. "Tobi is so tired..."
Deidara stared blankly at the man as he walked behind him. Their shift had started five hours ago and it wouldn't be until the very crack of dawn where the sun braced its appearance in the sky that they would be able to return to the hideout to rest. It may have seemed like something stupid and pointless to do, but the way Deidara figured, this was how the Akatsuki made sure no one discovered or wandered too close their hideout. Tobi had already explained to him that if they spotted someone, they were to take them out immediately, no questions asked. Come to think of it, on the night he was supposed to kill the Akatsuki, he remembered seeing Sasori walking around. Now it made sense as to why the male was venturing out and took care of Zabuza. 'But still, why did he save me?' That was the one thing Deidara couldn't figure out, and the question seemed to appear in his mind everyday.

Tobi let out another big yawn. "Deidara-sempai, is it time to sleep yet?"
"No." Was all the blonde simply said before walking ahead of him.
"But Tobi is sooooo tired!" he whined, clinging to Deidara.
"Get off, Tobi!" He pushed the masked Akatsuki aside, fixing the sleeve of his robe.
"Why are you so grumpy, Deidara-sempai? Did you and Sasori get into a fight?"
Deidara stopped and he failed to notice the stain of red that appeared on his face. "Th-that is none of your business! Un."
"Eh?" Tobi tilted his head before he suddenly chuckled. "Oh, I see. So Sasori got mad at Deidara-sempai!"

"Hmph." This was not a conversation Deidara wanted to have, and honestly, he wanted to blow Tobi into the sky again, but the noise from the explosion would draw unwanted attention.

"So, what did Sasori-sama get mad at you for?" Tobi asked curiously, hanging off Deidara's shoulder.
Deidara groaned and shoved him off. "Nothing that fucking concerns you!"
"Aw, but Tobi wants to know!" He childishly kicked a small rock on the ground. "Did he do something mean to you?"
Deidara growled and he looked back to glare at the man. "You're starting to piss me off, kid!"
"Ah, c-calm down, Deidara-sempai! Tobi was only joking!" he said flailing his arms child-like.
"Tch." Deidara untensed and turned around. Vaguely he wondered what time it was so he would know how much longer he had to put up with this idiot.

Suddenly, the wings of a bat flew over both ninja's heads and Deidara quickly looked around, observing the area with caution. Carefully he listened; faintly he could hear something breathing a few or so meters away. His assassin skills immediately homed in on the target. He looked in the direction. "Katsu!"

Tobi shook as the sound of an explosion sounded off in the distance behind him. "D-Deidara-sempai, whats going on?!"
"We've got company! Stand back!" he ordered. He got into a fighting position as another explosion sounded off. 'Two of them?' He had scout bombs planted all over the vicinity that would explode if triggered or stepped on. He heard the snapping of a twig and quickly jumped, turning around in the air. "Katsu!" another explosion set off and the screaming of a man was heard through the dust cloud of smoke.

"Ouch! Damn it, you'll pay for that!" The way the person spoke sounded as if they were talking through a rebreather mask.
Deidara's eyes widened. 'No, it couldn't be...'
The smoke finally settled and two people were revealed, wearing dark clothing, a ninja head band with pointed horns, and both donned a black, mechanical-like rebreather mask over their mouths.
Deidara frowned. "Meizu and Gozu."

Meizu chuckled. "Look at that, brother, he knows who we are."
"Good." Gozu growled. "Because I want him to remember who I am after I beat his face in! Just look at what he did to my arm!" Gozu held out his arm; a large burn from the explosion was marred on it, leaving his skin slightly raw and bloody.
"Calm yourself, Gozu." Meizu coaxed. "Remember, we're only here for one thing. Mizuki wants him alive."
"What? Mizuki?"
"We've said enough!" Gozu yelled. "Lets just grab him and go!"
Deidara frowned. "You're not laying a hand on me! Katsu!" He snapped his fingers and the ground below burst into the air from another one of his bombs. He smirked; there was no way they could have avoided that attack. However, his amusement was cut short when suddenly a chain lashed out at him through the thick smoke. "What the hell?!" It wrapped around him, holding him in place. He attempted to squirm free, but the chain only tightened around his body.

"Keep still or I'll tear you to shreds!" Gozu threatened, pulling the deathly sharp-bladed chain tighter. He chuckled when Deidara groaned loudly in pain, struggling to breathe.
"Don't worry, Deidara-sempai, Tobi will save you!"

Coming seemingly out of nowhere, the masked Akatsuki member landed a hard kick with the heel of his foot to the man's head. Gozu grunted, hitting the ground with such force that it cracked. Tobi landed behind Deidara as the assassin jumped out of the bind that held him. "Heheh, what did you think, sempai?"
"Hmph." Deidara didn't acknowledge him and refocused his attention to the enemies at hand.
"Oh right, I forgot there was another one." Meizu sighed. He swung his arms and two long serrated chains came out of his sleeves. "Well Mizuki never said anything about keeping that one alive." He smirked and swung the chains at Tobi.

Tobi quickly ran in the other direction. "N-no, don't kill Tobi! Tobi is a good boy!"
Deidara rolled his eyes; at least he was posing a distraction. "Tobi, stay out of the way. I'm going to get rid of these guys!"
"Not so fast!" Gozu lifted his head up from the ground and the chain struck Deidara square in the forehead.
The assassin stumbled; his consciousness had almost been knocked clean out of him and the world was spinning. 'Not good! I can't focus on anything in around me.' While he was lost in this haze of confusion, Gozu quickly ceased the opportunity to wrap the chain around his entire body; the long, metallic object moved over him like a snake, constricting its prey so that it couldn't get away.

Meizu continued chasing Tobi, getting annoyed at the masked Akatsuki for his lack of the ability to keep still. "You're thinning my patience!" As Tobi ran, both of Meizu's chains launched from either side of him and he ducked down, however one of them managed to wrap around his ankle and throw him against a tree. "Hmph." Meizu stood over him with the intention to finish the job, however, Gozu redirected his attention.

"Forget about him. We've got what we came here for."
Reluctantly, Meizu allowed his prey to live as he walked away from the unconscious Tobi. "Right. Mizuki will be waiting." In a flash, both of the brothers disappeared, taking Deidara with them.
Tobi shakily lifted his head. "D-Deidara-sempai..."

~:::~

"Damn you!" Deidara hissed. "Let me go! I'll fucking blow both of your heads off!"
"Shutup!" Gozu kneed Deidara in the stomach and the blonde keeled over gasping for air. "I don't know why the hell Mizuki would target you of all people we could collect."
Deidara didn't respond, only listened as he continued to walk against his will. If it weren't for the chains holding down the rest of his body, he would have been long gone by now. However, his mind settled on the more important matter. 'Who the fuck is Mizuki?' he pondered, trying to recall if it was another person on his hit list. The name didn't ring a bell, but he noticed how the brothers kept bringing it up. Obviously, they must work for him.

It seemed he would be getting his answers soon as they suddenly neared a large cabin in the woods. There were some other guys hanging around it, too; drinking and laughing as they associated with one another. When they saw Meizu and Gozu, a few of them greeted the brothers, while the rest just gave Deidara haughty stares. One of them even had the nerve to flick a cigarette bud at him. He would have said something, but he really didn't feel like having his ass kicked again.

Upon approaching the door to the cabin, a muscular man with gray hair, a black sleeveless shirt, and a teal-blue stripe that went across his face greeted them with a frown. "Hmph. Took you two long enough."
"Unlike you, Murasame," Meizu spoke, "We at least remember to bring them here in one piece."
"Whatever." the man replied. "The boss is waiting for you inside." He stepped out of the way, eying Deidara as they walked into the cabin. 'So he's the one? Pah. Can't believe Zabuza let this guy take him out.'

Once inside the building, Meizu kicked Deidara to the floor. "Got him right here for you, Mizuki."
Deidara ground his teeth, blue eyes looking up to glare at the man who ordered his capture. A shadow moved from the corner of the room, making its way slowly to the light before a person was revealed; light skin, white hair, a black bandana on his head, and a large shuriken on his back. He grinned menacingly as he stepped on top of Deidara's head, slamming his face to the floor.

"So you're the punk who managed to wipe out Zabuza and his gang?" he pressed his boot harder against the blonde's head. "Damn it, do you know how much money that bastard still owed me?" Mizuki frowned. He added more force to Deidara's head; an audible creaking noise sounded from the floor due to the pressure. "And you know what? You're going to help me get back every cent he owed me. You see," he started to explain, "Zabuza and I were kind of like partners in crime. I fetch the merchandise, he pitches the shows, we both get the money. Then you hop into the picture and ruin our whole gig!" He stomped his foot on Deidara's head. "And it really pisses me off when things don't go according to plan."

Deidara groaned. So this whole thing was just about money. Not that he could say anything against it since thats all he practically worked and lived for. But this guy was pissing him off. Not only was there going to be a bruise on the side of his face, but he was also messing up his hair. "Well maybe next time your partner should have put up more of a fight. Then again, I hear he wasn't worth much to begin with." he smirked.

"Hmph." Mizuki knelt down next to Deidara, cupping his chin in his hand as he stared into his blue eyes. "But you're worth quite a lot. An assassin that works for Orochimaru, and gains interest from killing off other criminals. Not to mention you've joined the Akatsuki. I hear theres a big bounty on your head now." Mizuki grinned. Suddenly his gaze flickered to a reddish spot on Deidara's neck. "And what have we here?" he moved his hair out of the way to get a better view. "Ah, so you're not only part of the Akatsuki, but you're their little chew toy, too!"

Deidara couldn't stop the blush that appeared on his cheeks. Mizuki, however, found it all too amusing. "I wonder if you'd be worth more if I just held you for ransom. I hear the Akatsuki are pretty ruthless and don't tolerate it when their members are messed with. So on that note," Mizuki stood up and smiled deviously. "I'm going to make you my bitch until I decide what I want to do with you." He turned around and flicked his hand. "Have fun with him boys."

Gozu chuckled. "With pleasure." he picked Deidara up by his throat. "I'll make you pay for injuring my arm!"
The only thing Deidara felt after that were continuous blows to his already beaten and battered body.