Chapter Nine – Finders Keepers

After being confined to Temari's house for a week with no spray paints or explosives, Deidara found himself officially bored out of his mind.

Of course, there was no way he was telling Temari that after she had been so generous just to keep him here and take on another mouth to feed. Talking to Gaara and Kankuro about his problems wouldn't do much – a kid and a drunkard couldn't really solve anything. So when it came down to it, there was only one person Deidara felt comfortable speaking to about the issue.

"You've got the entire Board after you, as well as every Fringe gang in the Underworld…and you want to go out?" Sasori asked incredulously.

The two of them were sitting at the table after dinner had been cleared away, and as soon as the last person had left the room, Deidara had blurted out exactly how he felt.

The blonde crossed his arms. "So what, hm? You get to go out all the time!"

Sasori pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "That's because I am an experienced killer who's been trained in the art of stealth since birth. You are an arrogant, loud, obnoxious lunatic."

"Thanks for that, un."

"It's true."

"Look, I wasn't asking for your permission. I just figured someone should know where I am…"

"This is stupid," Sasori pointed out bluntly. "You're not supposed to leave at all."

"It's just for a few hours," Deidara huffed, crossing his arms. "Come on, Sasori my man."

"You think begging is going to help? I said no!" Sasori growled. He wasn't really paying attention anymore, focusing on the tablet-computer in front of him. The 3D pullout touchscreen was meant to project whatever was on the screen so that all he had to do was move his hands through the air to control the device. It was currently having issues, fizzing out and sparking as the pixels convulsed in waves of grainy imagery. Sasori was less than pleased, running his fingers across them irritably.

The blonde gritted his teeth. "I'm not begging. I'm going whether you want me to or not, and there's nothing you can do to stop me, so I don't know why I told you in the first place!" He stood up, his chair banging against the wall so that Sasori was startled out of his trance. Deidara spun on his heel and stomped out the door.

Before he could even reach the front steps, Sasori was behind him. "Brat, wait…"

"When did I ever say you could call me that, hm?" Deidara questioned, ignoring his command.

A surprisingly strong grip on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. "Listen to me, will you?" Sasori practically yelled, whirling him around.

At first, Deidara was startled as Sasori's face contorted into an ugly expression. Once he realized how ridiculous it made the red-head's childlike face look, he snorted with laughter. Who knew a killer's glare could be so funny?

Sasori seemed momentarily surprised by Deidara's reaction before glancing around sheepishly and lowering his voice. "If you go out there, you need some sort of protection," he explained with forced calm. "I'll have to come with you."

Deidara blinked in surprise. He certainly hadn't expected that. "Um…"

"However, it will have to be a productive trip. And you will have to give me something to work with."

The bomber raised an eyebrow. "I already told you, I don't know anything. It's your job to tell me what's going on, un. Besides, I don't need a babysitter."

Sasori put his hands over his hips and examined the younger man warily. "Let's start with that group you said captured you. What can you tell me about them?"

"I don't…"

"Do you want to get out of this shithole, or not?"

"Hmmph," Deidara grumbled, turning away. "Fine, un. You want some quality time with me, I get it. After all, who could possibly resist this face?"

The blonde cracked a smile as Sasori sputtered, "T-That has nothing to do with it!"

Deidara chuckled. "Who knew it was this easy to get you so flustered?"

Sasori shoved him from behind. "Trust me, Brat. There's nothing attractive about you."

"Keep telling yourself that, un."


Somehow, Deidara decided, the bars down here were worse than the ones aboveground. There were no expensive flashing lights, no mahogany tables and stone fireplaces. The whole place was stained an ugly shade of brown, and the only customers were shadowy characters in corners, eyeing everyone who went past.

Deidara shivered as he felt their eyes trail him, fixating on his back.

According to Sasori, people hardly ever showed their faces around here anyway, so they had tucked the bomber's distinctive blonde hair into the hood of his sweatshirt and used black cloth to cover up the bottom half of his face. They had even managed to dig out some old-style colored contacts, which made his eyes appear a natural shade of brown. He should have felt completely unrecognizable and protected, but strangely the new look only made him feel more exposed.

He trudged toward the front counter after Sasori, hands in his pockets, keeping close behind the red-head. Sasori was holding his head high, and he seemed to attract more attention than Deidara, which was probably his goal. Half the bar had cleared out almost as soon as they saw him, and the other half appeared apprehensive in some way.

Reaching the front counter, they clambered onto stools and sat waiting.

Sasori seemed completely relaxed and at ease, looking around lazily. He bent close to Deidara. "I don't see anyone matching the descriptions you gave me. But be on alert – Night was extremely lethal in its time."

"You think I don't know that, hm?" Deidara hissed back. "What are we doing here?"

"I have some contacts roomed here that might be able to tell me something about Night's return. It must have reached the streets by now."

"Sounds like a plan, un," Deidara said, slouching lower in his seat.

Sasori raised an eyebrow. "You might want to stop doing that."

The younger rolled his eyes. "What now?"

"That speech impediment. It's a dead giveaway."

"You think I can control that, u-" Deidara slapped a hand over his mouth while the red-head smirked. "Shut up," he muttered from between his fingers.

An empty glass was slammed down in front of them so suddenly that Deidara jumped. He looked up to see the bartender, a well-rounded older lady with greasy locks and a saggy, grouchy face. She glared at them through piggy green eyes, sausage-like fingers curling together like she wanted to punch something. Her menacing look gravitated toward Sasori, who still seemed perfectly comfortable. "You," she growled, "I thought I told you never to come back here!"

Sasori scoffed. "Give it a rest for once, Tess. I'm not exactly happy about this arrangement either, but you've got people here that I need to talk to."

Tess spit into the glass and swirled a dishrag around it. "You arrogant bastard. I should kick your ass right out of here." She glanced at Deidara, eyeing him up. "Who's your friend?"

"Some moron I picked up. He just joined Akasuna, but he's a bit of sissy if you ask me."

Before Deidara could give Sasori a piece of his mind, Tess grabbed his chin roughly and yanked his head up so that he was facing the light. Deidara tried to pull away, but her grip was like iron. "Oi!" He growled, his voice muffled by the cloth wrapped around it. She ignored him.

"He's still a kid!" She finally let go, and Deidara jerked back, rubbing the tender skin around his mouth.

"More or less. So I'd watch your language." Sasori grinned at the blonde, who scowled heavily.

"Ha! Any kid with you has already heard much worse than me." Tess kept her eyes fixed on Deidara, even while she addressed Sasori. "They're not here."

"What do you mean?"

"Your contacts. The ones who were staying with me. They're all gone."

For the first time since they had arrived, Sasori looked disturbed. "All of them?"

"Vanished. The rooms were empty this morning."

Sasori took a deep breath, crossing his arms. "Any sign of a fight?"

"Hey, I ain't the damn housemaid! It's none of my business," Tess exclaimed, turning to face Sasori again.

The red-head narrowed his eyes at her, and she seemed startled by the look.

"Well…I don't know. There might have been," she mumbled, dropping her gaze.

Sasori stood up. "Show me the rooms."

"And why should I do anything for you?" Even as the bartender said this, she began to move toward a door in the back. "You damn Fringe leaders, think you can take anything you want…"

"Come on," Sasori said to Deidara, gripping his shoulder briefly as he passed.

Deidara started to climb off the stool.

Tess turned with a puzzled expression. "You really need the kid for this?"

Sasori looked back. His eyes met Deidara's, and the blonde knew that they were thinking the same thing. It would look suspicious if Sasori insisted on taking him upstairs rather than leave him at the bar. The red-head gritted his teeth. "Stay here. Keep out of trouble."

In an instant, he had disappeared through the door.

A feeling of dread settled over Deidara. Quickly, he left the stool and migrated to a table in the corner where he could press his back against the wall and not have to worry about a knife jabbing through his ribs. His artificial brown eyes flickered over the people in the room. If they all attacked him at once, he might be able to get away. And that was a big might.

Luckily, Sasori had equipped him with the proper amount of explosives – Deidara had no idea how he acquired them, and he had a feeling he was better off not knowing. Sasori had stuffed a pouch into his arms just before they had left, telling him to keep it with him at all times. Apparently the red-head believed there was no way Deidara would run after their deal. And he was right. The bomber felt far safer with the Fringe leader, especially now that he wasn't trying to kill him.

Two minutes passed. Then five. To Deidara it felt like an hour.

"Come on, Sasori," he grumbled, anxiously tapping his fingers on the table.

A sudden hand on his shoulder made him jump. How had someone gotten beside him without him noticing?

The blonde squinted up at the person, who was covered by a long brown cloak. Sasori wasn't kidding when he said that no one revealed their identity here. Deidara cleared his throat. "Can I help you?" He clamped his mouth shut before he could give out the telltale 'un' and slowly moved his hand toward the pouch on his belt.

The figure glanced around briefly before removing their hood.

Deidara's mouth dropped open.

It was the same girl from back in the coffee shop, the one with blue hair. When he first saw her, she had…what? Drugged him? He was pretty sure she had something to do with Night, and that meant bad news.

The blonde leapt up from the table, going for his pouch. "Shit…" he muttered under his breath.

The girl gave him a stern look. "Calm down," she hissed.

"Stay away from me, un!"

"You're making a scene."

Deidara glanced around to see that everyone in the bar was staring straight at him. He looked back at the girl and gritted his teeth. "What do you want?"

"Not here," she insisted, tugging her hood back into place. "You're going to have to trust me, Deidara. I'm trying to help you." She turned, heading for a private booth curtained off from the rest of the bar. "Follow me or don't, but make your decision before that puppet Fringe leader comes back."

Deidara hesitated, possibilities running through his head. Before he could quite comprehend what he was doing, he found himself following the girl into the booth. I'll just see what she has to say, he decided, firmly digging his hand into the pouch at his side. Deidara quickly pulled it back out when he felt something thick and squishy inside. "What the…?" He pulled a piece of the strange material out and examined it. "Clay? Sasori, what the hell?" He muttered under his breath, staring at it incredulously. He examined it more closely and noticed the microscopic sheen spread over the surface. Is this…explosive?

"Come on," the girl whispered from the other side of the curtain.

Cursing in his head, Deidara shoved the clay back into the pouch and slipped through. He threw himself back into the seat of the booth casually, crossing his legs and looking her up and down. "How the hell did you even know who I was, hm?"

The girl tilted her head. "Basic identity scanner. It looks past clothing and artificial cover-ups."

"B-But that's really rare tech!" Deidara sputtered. "How did you…"

"Does that matter right now?" The girl snapped.

Deidara blinked. "I guess not." He leaned forward slightly. "So, what's the deal with dragging me in here?"

"I need you to come with me."

Deidara snorted. "Why not just kidnap me again? That seemed to work out last time, un."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Obviously not, considering you escaped."

He shrugged. "Then you must need better security. Bam, problem solved."

"You're missing the point." She sighed, as if Deidara were being difficult on purpose. "Allow me to give you some motivation. I know why the Board wants you."

Whatever Deidara had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. His mouth dropped open. "Y-You…what…?"

"I know. And I'm not telling you until you come with me."

"This is…" Deidara swallowed the lump in his throat. "This is crazy. You're lying, un."

"I'm not," the girl insisted, leaning forward as well. "We only want to talk to you, Deidara. We want you to know the truth, and we can protect you. From the Board, from Sasori…all you need to do is come with me."

The blonde shook his head. Despite the confusion of what the girl was saying, one word stuck out to him. Sasori. The name reminded him of their deal, and Deidara was done breaking promises. The last time that happened, his sister ended up dead.

"I-I can't." He met her eyes with a defiant glare. "I won't. Sasori and I are going to find out what's going on. We don't need your help."

Surprise filled the girl's face for an instant. Then she leaned back and pinched the bridge of her nose. "This could have been easy, Deidara."

Deidara realized the implication of her words a second too late. Before he could react, a man entered the booth from behind and slogged him on the back of the head. The bomber groaned as he was yanked sideways off the chair. His arms were pinned to his sides, and the cold barrel of a gun was pressed against his temple.

I'm such an idiot.

"Hey, blondie," a familiar voice muttered in his ear. "How ya doing?"

Deidara twisted around as much as he was able, and caught sight of another familiar face framed with silver hair. "You're that asshole from the Deathbed!"

The man chuckled and yanked Deidara's hood down, tugging his hair painfully in the process. Then he tore the cloth away from Deidara's face and tossed in under the booth. "I told you, the name's Hidan. Guess you never thought I worked with Night."

"Not really," Deidara admitted, trying not to flinch away from the gun hovering around his head. "Night members are supposed to be intelligent, un."

Hidan hit him on the back of his skull again, this time with the gun. Dark spots flashed in front of his eyes.

Another man, also hooded and very well-built, stepped into Deidara's line of sight. "Where do you want him, Konan?" He asked in a deep, gravelly voice.

"There's a car out back," Konan told him. She opened an inconspicuous door behind the booth that led into a dark alley. "Let's move."

Hidan jolted Deidara forward, and they followed Konan outside. As soon as they were through the doorframe, Deidara jerked his arm free and slammed his elbow into Hidan's stomach. He hadn't been expecting the blow and stumbled backwards, pressing down on the trigger instinctively. The sound of the bullet tearing past Deidara's head made the blonde trip sideways, clutching at his ear.

Deidara spun back toward the bar and ducked under Hidan's arm, tearing through the curtains of the booth. "Sasori!" he shouted, just before a hand clamped down on the back of his hoodie and yanked him roughly backwards.

The bigger man pulled him into a chokehold, cutting off his air. Deidara struggled feebly, tugging at the massive arm around his neck. His vision quickly darkened. Just when he thought the suffocation would kill him, the man released him and shoved him through the door. "Behave," he growled, grabbing Deidara's arm as he nearly collapsed.

"Lemme go," Deidara muttered, wondering why he was suddenly so tired.

The man pulled him toward the sleek black car waiting in the alley as Konan held the door open. Hidan followed them sulkily.

Before they could reach it, a round of bullets fired off behind them and the man whipped Deidara around, using him as a human shield.

Distantly, Deidara could make out a familiar figure standing before them, aiming a nasty-looking rifle at the man's head. Hidan was on the ground, clutching at his bloody side.

"You heard the Brat," Sasori said, his voice as calm as ever. "Let him go."


Sasori didn't want to admit it, but he wasn't liking his odds. Though he had already taken down one of the thugs, the silver-haired one, that girl was still next to the car and the hooded man had his thick arm around Deidara's neck.

The man tightened his hold. "Put down the gun, or I slit his throat."

Suddenly there was a knife pressed against the Brat's neck – where had he gotten a knife? – and Deidara flinched as blood stained his skin. "S-Sasori…" he called in a shaky voice before abruptly falling silent as the blade dug deeper.

The red-head tightened his hold on the trigger, unreasonable anger flooding through him. "Let him go, or I blow your brains out."

The man laughed. "Why are you compromising your position, your very life, for this one kid? It's not worth it, Sasori. You know it's not worth it. Let us take care of him, and we'll make sure you get the credit."

"What do you want with him?" Sasori asked, taking a step forward and readjusting his aim.

"That's really none of your business."

Sasori's perceptive gaze caught the smallest bit of movement. Deidara was ever so slowly edging his free hand toward the pouch at his waist.

The red-head tried not to smirk, wondering if the blonde had realized the purpose of the clay. You told me you were an artist, right? Clever Brat…

Sasori kept his tone casual. "I found him first. And you know what they say…"

Deidara pulled out a piece of the clay, massaging it in his palm.

"Finders keepers."

Deidara slammed his head into the man's chin before pressing the clay onto his chest. At the same time, Sasori fired the gun, grazing the man's shoulder. The man stumbled back, and the knife flashed up, followed by Deidara's scream of agony as he lurched forward.

The clay exploded, knocking the man away even further. He landed hard on his back. The radius of the explosion affected the girl as well, who had started forward as the gun went off. She flew against the side of the parked car before sinking slowly to the ground.

Deidara fell to his knees, clutching at his eye.

Sasori sprinted toward him, reaching him in a few strides. "Brat?" He said, grabbing Deidara's arms and pulling him up. "Come on, we have to get out of here." The red-head eyed the gang members. Both the girl and the bigger man had been knocked unconscious, and the silver-haired guy was still on the ground, clutching at his injury. "Deidara, come on," Sasori repeated forcefully.

He was surprised when the blonde leaned into him, trembling.

"Really, Brat," Sasori said, exasperated. "I know it must have been scary, but…"

Sasori could do nothing but gape as Deidara slowly removed his hand. Blood poured down his face, flowing from his eye. From what Sasori could see, it had been sliced clean across.

"Shit…" Sasori gasped.

Deidara's knees buckled as an awful, pain-filled sob tore from his throat. Sasori quickly caught him, supporting his weight.

"Okay…okay. You're fine, Brat. I'm taking you home."

Sasori put Deidara's arm around his shoulders, practically dragging him to his feet. They began to stumble toward the mouth of the alley.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Sasori paused, peering over his should. The silver-haired man had risen to his feet, ignoring the blood pouring out of his side. This was surprising in itself, considering the wound should have been a crippling one. But now there was something else about the guy, something that sent a chill up Sasori's spine.

He was smiling.

The creep had a broad grin plastered across his face, red lips peeled open over yellowed teeth. It was the pleasure-filled snarl of an animal.

"Stay back," Sasori warned. He had had enough of this game. His riffle had been slung over his back, so he reached for a small handgun tucked into a side pocket. "The next bullet goes through your head if you don't let us leave."

"Just you try it, fucker," the man said cockily. He began walking toward them.

"I said stay back!" The red-head yelled. He fired several rounds through the man's skull. Blood splattered against the walls of the alley as he fell.

Sasori shoved the gun back into his pocket and hoisted the half-conscious Deidara into the street. "Come on, Brat. Just a little further. You can make it."

"U-Un…" Deidara muttered, clutching at Sasori feebly as they stumbled along.

"Hey, you piece of shit! Come back here and face me like a man!"

Sasori froze at the familiar voice. Slowly, he turned.

The man was there, standing in the street, glaring at him. Three bullets were visibly embedded in his forehead, sending three separate trails of blood down his face.

Sasori couldn't deny going a bit nuts after that. He yanked his gun out and aimed everywhere – the head, arms, shoulders, neck, and chest. They hit the guy with some force, causing him to fall backwards yet again. While he was down, the red-head reached around Deidara and dug into his pouch, ripping off a chunk of clay.

"Deidara, the explosives respond to your voice," Sasori explained quickly. "I need you to shout something when I throw this, all right?"

The blonde nodded tiredly as he held a hand over his eye.

"Okay…ready…"

Suddenly the man was right behind him, reaching for Deidara with a thick, meaty hand. Sasori couldn't deny the unmistakable fear that flooded through him at the man's sudden appearance. How he gotten so close? How was he still alive?

Sasori slammed the clay over the man's face before yanking Deidara forward. "Brat, now!"

"Katsu!" Deidara screamed.

The explosion was hot at Sasori back, lighting his spine on fire. He was thrown forward, losing his hold on Deidara before crashing into the ground. He rolled over several times before flopping onto his back, spread eagle-style, staring up at the sky. His ears were ringing, and the only thing he could focus on was breathing, slowing his heartbeat down to normal before attempting to sit up.

Sasori coughed, clutching his gut. He looked around, eventually catching sight of the blonde bomber lying a few feet away. He dragged himself to his feet, pulling Deidara up once again and slinging him over his shoulder. "You okay?"

Deidara murmured something unintelligible.

Sasori glanced back to see the man lying in the middle of the road, and he felt a spark of satisfaction. No one could have survived that.

"Let's go Brat," he said, starting off again. "I'd say we've done enough damage for one night."


A/N - Hey guys! Here's another chapter for you. I hope you enjoy it!

I wanted to thank you all again for your support and comments regarding this story. My biggest weakness as a writer is not being able to follow through and actually finish a piece, either because I lose interest or come up with another idea. If you guys are there for me, offering help and interest in the story, then I'm sure I'll be able to bring it to a satisfying conclusion.

Again, you guys' support means so much to me! Thanks and see you next time!

Sayonara