(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!


Things hadn't been entirely unbearable since Deidara had agreed to let her have more freedom. She still didn't leave the room much, but it was nice to be able to take a shower or have the option to go to the kitchen to eat some food other than protein bars. Deidara and Sasori had embarked on another mysterious mission, which meant Yatsuko was on her own for the time being.

An entire month must've passed since she left Iwagakure. She wondered if they had sent anyone after her, surely they would've found her by now. Yatsuko sighed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. It was hard not to worry about Tetsu, sure he was a hopelessly lazy layabout, but he was still her brother. It seemed impossible he would be able to get on without her. It wasn't as though either of them was particularly well-liked, she doubted anyone would care enough too step in and help him. He was, after all, a grown man; there was no valid reason why he couldn't just get off his lazy ass and make his own money.

She rolled over onto her stomach; he must've been furious when she didn't come back. He stomach let out an audible growl causing her cheeks to flush red. Well, there was no point laying around fretting over Tetsu, now was as good a time as any to grab some food. Yatsuko rolled out of bed and slowly made her way towards the door.

At first, it was a little daunting walking around the compound on her own. It was dark and creepy and massive. As long as she kept track of the hallways, she was okay. She also suspected the enormous size of this place was what had saved her from running into anyone else while Deidara was away.

When she reached the kitchen, she paused outside the doorway, peering inside to make sure she would be alone. She didn't know much about any of these men, but if Hidan and Sasori were amongst their ranks, she was sure they must've been awful. Her trips outside of Deidaras room was always a welcome distraction; unfortunately, the thought of running into Hidan or someone worse was a nagging anxiety.

Quickly she made her way to the cupboard pulling out an oversized, mostly unused bag of rice. She would keep it as quick and simple as possible after all cooking was not something she excelled in. It took her a while to find a matching pot and lid. Judging from the layer of dust that covered everything in the kitchen it didn't seem as though it didn't see much use.

Yatsuko sat on a rusted metal framed chair with a torn maroon vinyl seat cushion as she waited for the water to begin boiling. She lazily drummed her fingertips on the cold metal tabletop as her stomach rumbled once more; she groaned impatiently her hunger suddenly seemed unbearable. Quickly Yatsuko made her way over to the fridge hoping there would be something to eat while she waited for her food to finish. A putrid smell emanated from the small refrigerator the second she cracked it open.

"Ugh," She said in repulse before slamming the door shut once more. "Disgusting..." Yatsuko muttered. "Ugh, I'm so damn hungry!" She yelled toward the pot of nearly boiling water.

"What are you doing here?" A cold, stern voice challenged. Yatsuko jumped, an audible yelp escaping her lips. She hadn't even sensed him come in it was clear the time she had spent locked away had dulled her senses immensely. Yatsuko took a shaky breath trying her best to muster up her courage and face him. Deidara hadn't told her anything, not even whether or not people knew she was there. If they were aware what fabrication had he went with, had he been detailed, would they expect her to be? Her stomach churned; she was going into this situation blind. With clenched fists, she turned to face him.

When Yatsuko finally turned around, she was a little surprised when she saw a young and relatively attractive man standing before her. Her cheeks burned red hot as she stared over at him blankly. He was a missing-nin from Konoha by the looks of it. His hair was thick and raven black, his eyes red and piercing. Though he didn't look much older than Deidara or herself, he seemed wise beyond his years; it was intimidating seeing someone so hardened at such a young age. She shuddered slightly before opening her mouth to speak. Instead, she found herself continuing to gawk over at him for what felt like an eternity.

"Uhm, I'm..." Her voice cracked, "Well, you see, heh." Yatsuko took a thick gulp before shooting her gaze downward. It felt as though if she looked at him for one more second, she'd get sucked into those piercing eyes of his. "I'm Deidaras." She said, hoping that would be enough, it wasn't he continued eyeing her suspiciously "You know?" His silence only made her more uncomfortable; she could feel his eyes continuing to drill a hole through her. "I'm just... You know?"

"It's boiling." He said calmly, Yatsuko nodded before quickly turning her back to him. Her hands trembled as she felt him continue to watch as she covered the pot and let it go down to a simmer. As his footsteps drew closer, she merely froze. "It seems odd that he'd let you wander about freely like this."

"Heh, well you're not the first to say that. I promise I'm just making food then I'm going to be heading back to Dei_ I mean Deidara-dannas' room. I'm only allowed to leave for eating and well, you know." Her cheeks flushed once again under his unfaltering gaze. "Would you like some? It's just rice; I'm afraid I'm not much of a cook_."

The man began shuffling through the cupboards, Yatsuko watched him nervously. So far he hadn't attacked her or indicated his desire to do so, so that was a positive. In fact, he didn't seem all that bad at all, maybe a little quiet and brooding, but it was a vast improvement from the others she had met so far.

"Go sit." Yatsuko nodded before returning to the table. She sat down and watched him as he pulled spices, beans and other things from the cupboard. As though she wasn't humiliated enough it seemed the strange man was going to finish cooking for her. Yatsuko covered her face with her hands, hoping he hadn't noticed how utterly embarrassed she felt.

"You seem good at that." Yatsuko blurted out dumbly, hoping to break the dense and uncomfortable silence that had filled the room. "At cooking I mean. I didn't even think to add any of that stuff, then again this isn't my kitchen, and this food isn't mine. " Yatsuko babbled, he kept his attention fixed on the stovetop; he seemed coldly indifferent to anything Yatsuko had to say. She lowered her gaze to the floor before slamming her hands on the table awkwardly. "I'm sorry I hope you're not mad, I don't need to eat any. I'm sorry again I'm just going to go back now, he left me some water and protein bars I should be fine. You're right it's weird for me to be out here without him. Uhm, goodbye, I hope I didn't disturb you too much; forgive me." She jumped to her feet, ready to bolt out the door. Yatsuko clenched her jaw, disgusted with how weak she was acting. It wasn't like her to crumble so quickly, and yet that was all she had been doing recently.

"You talk a lot." He said flatly, Yatsuko paused before casting him an apprehensive look. "Sit back down." She wasn't clear if it was an order or request, so she quietly sat back down. As much as she hated being overly submissive to the man Yatsuko had no idea who he was or what he was capable of, after what happened with Hidan she didn't want to find out. Of course, she wasn't utterly defenseless now, but Yatsuko had also sworn to Deidara that she would keep her nose down. Unfortunately, the best way to do that was to comply. She forced a warm smile to her lips before staring towards his back once more.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me. I don't get to talk much anymore. I guess I'm just out of practice." A nervous laugh slipped from her lips "I'll keep silent, so I don't bother you any more than I already have, I promise."

"Why do you assume that I think that's a bad thing." He turned back to face her. Yatsuko felt her cheeks flush under his gaze. "You can speak freely if you wish." It was shocking how kind and reasonable her seemed to be towards her. Hearing Deidara speak about his new comrades made her think they were all ruthless killers. Even though this man was stern and stoic, he didn't strike her as a sadistic sociopath like Hidan. "Eat before it gets cold."

"Thank you, sir." Yatsuko watched him as he began to plate their meals. It was simply rice and beans, but it smelled utterly delicious. He placed a plate in front of her before sitting across the table from her. He watched her from the corner of his eye as she salivated over the steaming plate of food. "It smells so good! I can't remember the last time someones made me something so delicious."

"You haven't even tried it yet." The man mumbled before taking a bite, Yatsuko followed suit and took a mouthful of her own. Her lips curved into a small smile, thankfully it was as good as it smelled. It was hard to contain her excitement as she ate, it had been a while since she had some hot food. The raven-haired man continued to eye her between his bites.

"It's amazing, thank you so much."

"It's just rice and beans." Yatsuko blushed, of course, he was right, but as far as she was concerned, it was a five-star steak dinner. "There's no need to thank me I was already cooking for myself. You saved me the trouble of boiling the water." Yatsuko gave him a small nod before continuing to wolf down her food. She hadn't realized how hungry she was or that the strange man was continuing to eye her as she ate. "Would you like more?" Yatsuko blushed up at him, of course, she wanted more, but she felt bad enough already.

"No, I could_" Before she could finish her though he snatched her plate to fill it up once more. He placed it in front of her before taking his seat once more. "Th-thanks." She mumbled before eating once more. He continued to watch her silently. It was difficult not to break under his gaze.

"What are you doing here?" He asked frankly. Yatsuko coughed, choking slightly on her food. The man pushed a glass of water in front of her as he watched her expectantly.

"Well, I was getting some food_."

"No why are you here at the base, what reason would Deidara have for bringing you back here? He's never brought someone back before; no one has been kept alive this long after becoming a prisoner here. I find it extremely odd that he would not only keep you around but also let you roam around without any bindings." Yatsuko glanced at the floor nervously trying to remember if Deidara had ever actually told her something useful to say to these guys. Unfortunately, he had never actually told her what to say if one of them tried to speak to her, he would merely say to keep her nose down and follow his lead. "I can sense that your chakra is considerable, surely you contemplate escape." She almost choked once again at his bluntness. Of course, she thought about escaping, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

"I'm afraid I'm not too sure we don't talk much you see." Of course, she knew he brought her here as some misguided attempt to protect his childhood friend. Whether his motivations were pity or whatever else she had no clue, another thing Deidara had made clear was not to let the others know they knew each other. It seemed an unnecessary complication, but she would follow along. "I mean he's so busy we don't talk much. When he's around, he doesn't have much interest in me other than, well, you know..." The man continued to stare at her aloofly; it seemed as though he wasn't buying any of this. She let out a nervous laugh "In any case, I think I did something that struck him as artistic in some way. At least that's what I heard him tell that kid_ I mean Sasori-sama." Yatsuko wanted to bury her face in her nearly finished food. She would be shocked if he bought her half-baked lie.

"Are you finished?" Yatsuko narrowed her eyes up at him. First, he asked her a question then got annoyed when she took to long to answer. "With you're food I mean." He added seemingly reading the expression plastered across her face

"Oh yes, but let me get the dishes, it's the least I can do." He continued to stare at her as she cleaned up after their meal. Thankfully it seemed he was willing to forget about it. "Hmm, so I suppose if you want to know why Dei is keeping me here you'd have to ask him yourself."

"Dei? That's a rather intimate way to address someone you just called 'Danna' only moments ago." He remarked. Yatsuko continued to scrub the dishes trying he best not to appear nervous. She had always been an awful liar.

"Oh, I'm sorry I meant to say Deidara-danna. Please don't tell him I called him that outside of the bedroom," Yatsukos cheeks flushed at her suggestive lie, "I'm fairly sure he'd be embarrassed and upset with me." He gave her a small nod of assurance. "Thanks, well I better get back to my 'cell'." She said with a small giggle before turning to leave, though he wasn't outwardly threatening her he was suspicious. The sooner she could put some distance between the two of them, the better. To her surprise, he got to his feet as well; she glanced back at him from over her shoulder. "Is something wrong?" He shook his head.

"I'd like to make sure you get back to your room." Yatsukos cheeks warmed once again at his remark "You are still a prisoner after all." She gave him a small nod; she wasn't really in a position to tell him no. Not that she wanted to say no. Whoever he was he seemed kind; he didn't frighten her the way Sasori or Hidan did. He had fed her and now seemed to want to get her back to her room safely, he didn't seem all that bad. The fact he was nerve-wracking-ly handsome didn't hurt either.

The pair walked in uncomfortable silence for sometime as Yatsuko began to pick at her nails awkwardly. There wasn't much she could ask him about. She could ask him to tell her more about the Akatsuki, but she highly doubted he would answer any. Then she could ask him what brought him to the organization; it seemed even less likely that he would answer that. Every topic that flashed into her mind seemed to be something he would have no interest in responding.

"You're from Iwagakure?" Yatsuko jumped at his voice before glancing down at her Iwa-head band. Despite there being no real need for her to wear it here, she still wore it around her neck. She gave him a small nod "It seems odd that you wouldn't have known Deidara before all of this." Yatsukos quickly averted her eyes from him; it seemed he wasn't as willing to drop the subject as she had thought.

"Tch, I don't think it's weird Iwagakure isn't much smaller than Konoha. I knew of Deidara_" Yatsuko caught herself "Deidara-danna of course, I mean even before he blew up the village he was our greatest most celebrated artist. Everyone knew about him. He's only a year older than me; I would have had no reason to ever to meet him. He was to busy with the bomb corps and his art to ever care about meeting a nobody like me. I don't even know why he wants to keep me around anyway, the girls he had back in the village were far prettier then me!" She rambled before realizing it wasn't exactly helping her case.

"Hmm." It didn't seem as though he was buying her story, but it made no difference. The entrance to Deidaras room was within her sight. She quickened her pace before pausing outside the door for a moment. Yatsuko glanced over her shoulder shyly. So far he had been rather pleasant, the least she could do was be polite back.

"Thanks again, I suppose I might see you next time I feel brave enough to go to the kitchen." He offered no clear response, Yatsukos cheeks burned red "Well, I'm going now. It was nice to meet you."

"Yes, you as well." It was unclear why, but she couldn't help but smile at his words.

"Oh! My names Yatsuko." She called out, he paused, glancing back at her, his face still unreadable. "I just thought you might want to know." She added shyly.

"Yatsuko... " He gave her a small nod before continuing to walk away. She stood at the threshold watching him leave, wondering if she would ever get to see him again. Yatsuko couldn't help but smile to herself, she had forgotten to get his name, but it was all the more reason to want to meet with him again. That and she intended to repay him for the meal and for being one of the only kind faces she had seen in months.


(A/N: Hope no one minds the lack of Deidara in this chapter, he'll be back next week I promise! Anyway as usual let me know what you think. How dow you feel about Yatsuko and Itachis' encounter? I have next weeks chapter finished and ready to post may or may not post it early if requested enough. Thank you Caamy for the Review, always great to hear from you! I have a very solid idea of where I'm going to leave this story off and would love to hear who you guys would like me to write a fan-fiction for next. )