BGB: I'm doing my best to keep updating! Oh, and thanks to people who read my SasoDei story! Hope I get some more attention on that!
Deidara's POV
Leader looked at each one of them in turn.
Partners? With these brats?
Deidara wanted to scream. He hoped he would stay where he was. He didn't want to be paired up with a girl for Kami's sake.
Leader remained silence, apparently thinking.
"Well, are you going to hurry it up or what?" the girl with the black hair said.
Everyone was in a shocked silence at her outburst.
Leader slowly walked up to her. He seemed to realize something, his face a mixture of shock and disgust. Suddenly, he slapped her, her head snapping back.
"You little blind brat. When I am speaking, you listen. Understood?"
BLIND?!
Deidara looked at the other Akatsuki members. They all had the same shocked face as he had on right now.
Leader is letting a BLIND girl join us? What the hell is THAT about?
The blind one muttered, "Understood."
Leader looked up and no one bothered to hide their expressions. He himself looked quite shocked as well. But he quickly hid it under his mask of indifference.
"Well then. You seem to be questioning my judgement. And I know why. A blind girl, a small girl, and a tailed beast."
At this everyone went for a loop.
A BEAST? What is Leader trying to do, kill us?
"You don't seem to see my veiw on this. If she agrees, she won't die."
Deidara nearly smirked, adding in his mind what Leader was trying to convey to them silently.
She won't die YET.
"Then we become stronger than we have been in months. But she will only agree if we keep her friends alive. So, in a way, we will become twice as strong as we have been. At least, as soon as I pair them up."
Everyone seemed to understand. As Leader looked at them, each of them nodded silently.
"Right then. Before we begin..."
Leader took out a kunai and threw it to the feet of the tailed beast girl.
"Scratch your headband."
The girl looked up, fire burning in her eyes. "No!" She cried, "Never!"
Leader went up to her and Kisame let go of her arms. Leader took her by the collar and pushed her up against a wall. He whispered something in her ears and her eyes widened and then narrowed. Leader let her go and she slid to the ground. Her headband fell into her lap. She took the kunai and slowly scratched out the symbol. He saw a few tears fall across her cheeks. Deidara sighed. Geeze, always the same with these forced recruits.
She got up, followed closely by Leader. She handed the kunai to the small one. Her silver hair turned red. Deidara raised his eyebrows. That was interesting...
Slowly, she too scratched out the symbol.
The blind one reached out for the kunai. Deidara wondered how she knew what was going on.
Must be pretty perceptive.
She fumbled with her head band, feeling the markings. Something was on her forehead still but it was quickly covered by her bangs. She too scratched the symbol.
Leader took the kunai from her trembling hands.
Deidara sighed.
Well, about time we got to the partnering.
Leader again stood in the middle of the crescent or people. Looking over at Kisame, he saw that he was as taught as a guitar string.
What's he all worked up about?
"The first group will be Haruka and Deidara."
Deidara wondered which one that was. Or how Leader knew their names. Whatever.
"Deidara, step forward and let your new partner see who she is to be paired with."
Deidara stepped forward. When Deidara saw who stepped forward he almost attacked Leader in anger. He had been paired with the beast.
She walked to him, standing next to him dutifully, if somewhat angry. He didn't care. He stepped back in place, the beast following. He saw Sasori smile. Deidara felt his face grow hot in rage.
Leader just had to do this to me, didn't he?
Kisame's POV
The brown haired beast walked to Deidara. Deidara looked incredibally mad. Kisame almost smiled. But he couldn't. He was too anxious.
"The next group will be Itachi and Osamu. Itachi, step forward."
Itachi stepped forward. Leader walked up to him and whispered something as Osamu walked effortlessly toward them. Something like anger passed through the girl's face. Itachi looked at her, expressionless, and stepped back into place, the girl fuming right beside him.
Kisame was almost at the breaking point. Would he get Michiko as his partner? It was him and Sasori left without partners, unless you counted Zetzu.
Please let her be my partner. Please. Please.
"The last group will be Michiko and..."
Leader paused, as if deciding something. He looked straight at Kisame and seemed to see something there that decided it.
"Michiko and Sasori."
Kisame snapped, nearly jumping at Sasori's throat. Not that that would do anything.
Michiko looked at the floor the whole time, tears streaming down her face. She took her place as Sasori stepped forward, apparently uninterested. It hurt Kisame to look.
"Kisame, as you are without a partner, you shall be partnered up with Zetzu. This ends the meeting. New arrivals must be given cloaks and trained to determine strength. Your reports are to be given in the morning. Dismissed."
Leader disappeared quickly and everyone started leaving. Kisame stayed, getting ready to contact Leader as soon as everyone was gone. However, with Zetzu still in the room, Leader came in by himself.
"What is it, Kisame?"
Kisame felt strange asking this of Leader. But there was no real choice.
"Why did you pair Michiko with Sasori? Sasori has no patience whatsoever."
Leader gave him an even stare.
"You know her. It's against the rules if you know her."
"But-"
"Listen, Kisame. I could tell you wanted to be with her. That means that you would have gone easy on her, even without realizing it."
"But-"
"I can't, Kisame. She's your sister, after all."
BGB: Well, hope you enjoyed I'll try my hardest to update tomorrow as well! And if you have ANYTHING to say to me, ideas on plots, missions, pairings, side-pairings, or just what you think of the story so far, I would LOVE to know. Private Message me about anything, and I mean ANYTHING at all 8D Reviews are loved!!
