A/N: So my internet is down again and I'm taking this as a sign to get writing so you can all read the next chapter of this fic. I know that it will be ending soon, but I'm trying to work out what the ending will be. I don't want to have this fic drag on too much longer if it's going to be boring. Things begin to progress from this chapter onward. ^^

A/N (pt 2): I'm so sorry this took so long…really I am…I got sick, Uni started….excuses, excuses, true excuses, but excuses nonetheless…if you get sick of waiting for a chapter to come out just PM me and I'll get on it…*sigh* I'm so awful…

"Now that they're training us, it'll be easier to take them down from the inside out." Mikari sent telepathically. Just because two of the Akatsuki members were out scouting the location of the next demon, doesn't mean that there weren't other members who would be eavesdropping if they were to speak their plans out loud. "Hm, you're right." Telenei said absentmindedly as she turned her head slightly to look at her sister. "Then we can go back to Konoha, back to all our friends and everyone." Mikari ranted. "But who would we take out first?"

Telenei shrugged. She wasn't really feeling up to this conversation. She was worn out from weeks of relentless training.

A short while afterward, Telenei went out for a walk. She hated constantly being caged up in the caves. She was out, sitting on a rock as she let her thoughts wander, the cool breeze gently brushing her hair against her face. With a sigh, she placed her chin in her cupped hands. 'I don't know anymore.' She thought listlessly. 'I don't think I can do this.' It was true that now she was having second thoughts about their decision to try and take them down. If they were going to go through with it, she knew that it would have to be soon, preferably before Deidara and Sasori got back. Then there would be fewer opponents and they'd stand a better chance.

Telenei spared a thought for Tobi. He was so energetic and childlike that Telenei couldn't even imagine hurting him, much less killing him. She perked up at the idea of taking Hidan down. The pair had never managed to get along. She knew that she had made some friends here, and didn't relish the thought of betraying them,. but what about Mikari? Surely she must feel the same way? How could she want to betray her friends so easily just for a bit of freedom?

Mikari was in fact, at this very moment, thinking about exactly that. 'But…friends…but…home…but…hot piece of puppet…but…argh this isn't fair.' Mikari had grown a fondness for the puppet master after the little argument on art all those weeks ago. She had brought some more fun back into his life. He would occasionally help her pull a prank on Deidara, remembering how Telenei would quite often help Deidara get them back. Once, the twins had to restrain the two of them because of a blown up puppet and a marble statue…or something of the sort. Mikari laughed at the memory. She knew she didn't want to betray her friends, but she dearly missed home.

-x-x-x-

"Do you think they'll come back?" Hinata asked Naruto as she sat with him on one of the rooftops, gazing over the leaf village. "I hope so…" Naruto said. He was beginning to miss his troublemaking friends. He knew that even Sasuke missed Telenei at the very least…even though he would never have admitted it…but he was moodier than usual. Naruto and friends thought that the Leaf Village had lost some of its life without them around to be blowing things up…or setting people up…

-x-x-x-

Telenei sneezed suddenly. Someone must have been talking about her. She heaved a sigh and pulled herself up off the rock she was sitting on. She began to walk slowly back to the cave. Telenei froze as she heard a rustling noise. It could have been a rabbit…or it could have been a shinobi from one of the hidden villages trying to find the location of the elusive Akatsuki.

She edged closer to the direction she'd heard the noise come from. "We may have trouble." She sent a warning to her sister, sending a mental image of her location as well. Whoever they may be, they weren't troubling to keep the noise down. Telenei knew they were human because as they noisily shuffled forward she could hear ragged breathing. She was quite confused. If they were ninja coming to try and find them, why were they being so noisy?

Mikari dropped down by her side holding a kunai defensively in front of herself, while Telenei reached for some Shuriken to throw at the intruder…or intruders…it sounded like more than one person. "Okay, on three then?" Mikari asked, using their telepathy to their advantage. "Ok…"

"3" Mikari counted, repositioning herself to an attack position

"2" Telenei raised the shuriken and prepared to throw it.

"one…" The pair lowered their defences as the people they were watching stumbled out through the trees. "Sasori! Deidara!" Mikari exclaimed. Sasori was supporting most of Deidara's weight as the blonde was heavily injured. Sasori wasn't much better, his heart canister had a slight crack in it, and his puppet body suffered extensive damage.

The twins raced up to the injured pair, Sasori looked rather relieved to see them, Deidara was too out of it to even notice where he was. Mikari took Deidara from leaning on Sasori and directed him to her sister. Telenei took Deidara's weight from Mikari, whilst Mikari took Sasori's weight. 'Good thing I came out here to think after all.' Telenei thought sardonically as she followed behind Mikari on their way back to the cave.

Telenei and Mikari laid the injured Akatsuki members on to their beds. If the Akatsuki caves had some sort of infirmary the twins didn't have too much time to ask anyone, and then try to find it. "Still remember your medical stuff?" Mikari asked. Telenei nodded. She had trained as a medical ninja as well as her usual training in the beginning, seeing as how she wasn't sure what she should be, she was glad she took it now. "And you?" Telenei asked in return. Mikari nodded. Telenei had advised her to take the training for that as well.

Telenei and Mikari tied their hair back and set to healing their friends. Some time later, Telenei wiped her forehead, leaving a streak of blood behind. Healing them was taking longer than it should have and she was getting both worried and tired. She picked up a cloth and wiped the sweat from her forehead, taking some of the blood with it. "Mikari, how are you going?" She asked, shooting a quick glance in her sister's direction. "This is hard." She replied, her voice strained.

Telenei held in a yawn…she had to focus as hard as she could. "Please, please…" She begged quietly. "You have to pull together…you have to make it." She let her eyes drop slightly. Both she and Mikari had been working for hours, and she knew her patient was slipping from her. "You can't die." She said sternly. Ten minutes later Mikari let out a slight laugh of relief. "Sasori will be ok…he just needs to rest…" She rested a hand on Telenei's shoulder. "Go get some rest…you did great Mikari." Telenei said. Her sister had worked well and deserved it. "Do you need help?" Mikari asked. "You're pretty worn out too."

"I'll be fine. Go rest." Telenei went back to focusing on healing. Mikari lifted her hand from Telenei's shoulder and left her sister to her work with a slightly worried expression.

Telenei lowered her hands, trying to stand up. She had been kneeling on the ground for so long that her legs had gone numb. She placed a bloodied hand over her eyes and cried silently, the other hand she placed on one of Deidara's cold ones. She had tried her best, and that was all she could do.

Perhaps her best just wasn't good enough.

Again. I am so sorry this is late…so if I have any readers after this…thankyou for sticking with my horrible updates. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou.

I'll try to update faster. Promise.