Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto.
My Ramblings: thank you for all the reviews/feedback! i really, realllly appreciate it! and i'm glad that some of you thought my humor was semi-funny. heh, my mind is weird. it's truuue! ;DDDDDDDDDDDD 12 "D"s because it's CHAPTERfreakingTWELVE. yaaay! over 10. lol. i was going to say something on chappie 10, but i forrrrgot. -_- =] OH! and Sakura and Deidara finally "reunite" lol! be happyyy! finally, we're getting to the DeiSaku-ness (sorta) of what this fanfic is supposed to be about! (i'm happy and relieved, too.) btw, Boten Anna (by Basshunter) is fricking awesome… i love the instrumental too! it somehow inspired the part at the end. =3 lolz XD …i almost named this chapter "FML" instead, though. buuut it wouldn't have fit my the way i name my chapters, though… in my head. *mumbles/rambles*
Clay Hearts
Chapter Twelve:
Avalanche
When I opened my eyes from a dreamless sleep, I practically screamed. One, I was in a foreign place to me. Two, there was a man in an orange mask staring down at me.
"I knew it was you!" he shouted happily. "Tobi's so smart. Tobi's a good boy!"
Once my eyes focused, I shoved (slammed) the boy/man out of my face and yelled at him. "You! What are you doing here?" My eyes couldn't miss his cloak—the same as the marking on the ceiling. Dammit. "Why are you in my room?" Yes, a more direct question.
"Leader-sama told me to find the new member!—That's you!"
I sat up, shook my pink head, and glanced at the door. Tilting my head both curiously and suspiciously, I said, "How the hell did you even get here?" Tobi shoved a key in my face and I shoved him right back out. Oh, yeah. I don't have a chakra sealing door yet. Dangit! I pulled the covers off of me and, still in my clothes from yesterday, I walked over to the door, stopping at a random mirror I saw to comb through my hair with my fingers. "What did Pein want?"
"He said something about a test? Tobi's not so sure!" he said with, what I'm sure, was a cheesy grin under that mask. That mask… I looked into the eyehole and I suddenly jumped and punched Tobi in the face. How could I have forgotten? This Tobi character is not someone that should be trusted—not that any of the Akatsuki is trustworthy. But something's just… off about him. I can't know yet, but hopefully I'll find out before I run away or before I die.
"Owww! Sakura-chaaan! Tobi thought you'd be nicer now," commented the orange masked man.
Oh yeah… I was "unfriendly" towards him before.
Better pretend we're his friend now, Inner remarked, You never know with masked men. I mean look at Kakashi…
My heart squeezed tight at the thought of my former sensei. He reminded me of home. He also reminded me that there was a hope that everything was going to be okay and I wouldn't need to do something so rash as join the Akatsuki. That made it even worse. Because people don't just leave the Akatsuki once joining it or finding the base. You either run away, most likely get caught and killed if you're one-hundred percent sure on not going back—or, you have to be completely trusted by the Leader and have his own personal permission to leave. Or just be strong enough to not die like Orochimaru. Yeah, I don't know. Either way, it sucks.
This is one job that you have to be one-hundred percent committed to, that's for sure.
"Can you show me where Leader is now?"
"Yes, Sakura-chan!"
Tobi took me to some roof training place. Though you couldn't see it from the outside, there was a barrier that made sure that none of any justus were "thrown" into the world down below, which was the city. (Though the city was far-ish from wherever we were.) Anyways, the barrier served a dual purpose, to make sure nothing got out and so that no one can see this rooftop training area. I'd learn that there are other rooftop areas as well. Also, there are big metal statues of faces and people that belonged to Amegakure that is Pein's favorite spot to just be still and allow the sky to cry. I'd learn as well that it would be one of my favorite spots, too.
Thank God, Pein had dismissed Tobi as soon as he and I got there. It was between him, me, and random opponents and obstacles. There was not a single soul there besides the Leader and I, but I knew that that wouldn't matter—even if Pein were to fight me. However, I wouldn't fight him anyways, even if it were the test. I know from people that I'd be killed easily. I can admit that I'm not strong enough to fight people like him.
I looked him in the eye as he met mine and he said, "Begin." And so I did.
My little test was easy enough for me and quick, done in only a matter of ten or twenty minutes. Although I was sweating and thirsty now. Pein had approved of my skill, especially my chakra control, quick learning for medical ninjustu, and super-human strength. "It seems that Tsunade-san has trained you well. J—" It seemed almost as if he was going to say something else—I'm not sure—but if he was, he cut himself short. Also, the way he said Tsunade's name sounded as if he knew her personally somehow. Odd.
"Ah, wow, I guess I passed my test," I said to my Inner and myself as I walked into the Akatsuki kitchen to get that drink of water I had wanted. (I knew where the kitchen was located because the Uchiha had showed me yesterday.) Everyone was there except for Pein and Tobi—probably a very good thing. Except I didn't exactly realize who everyone was. And I didn't realize that "holy shit" would be the words of the day.
My eyes came over the boys that were sitting casually (and some not so casually) at the table that fit all. The emerald orbs widened as huge as the sun when my eyes came over a too familiar redhead and I pointed, "Holy shit!" How are you alive? Then my eyes met the plant-man, "Holy shit?" Which was more like a "What the fuck?" because he's just so weird looking. Dude, talk about a bad tan. And then my eyes found a specific blonde haired man who had some speech issue, always adding a "hmm" at the end. "Holy shit!" I screamed and pointed. It's… it's him. I forgot about him. Holy fucking shit.
They all had something to say, but let's start with the others that weren't "HOLY SHIT'd."
Money-Man: "Dammit, if I had known she was going to do that—then I could have placed bets on who she would have said that too." Kakuzu began to mumble to himself how he could have made a lot of money on that.
Fishy-Man: "Awww, why didn't you 'holy shit' me too?" Kisame put on a sad face, feeling left out. He seriously wanted to be yelled at…? But soon enough, he was pondering why I was yelling anyhow.
Cult-Man: "I like this bitch!" Hidan seemed to get a bit turned on. Ugh, creepy. Then he began to wonder, like Kisame, why I was even freaking out.
Bastard-and-Loser-and-Ruiner-of-Past-Love-Life-Possibilities-Man: "…Hn." Itachi-bastard-san (for short) just ignored me for the most part.
I blinked my eyes a few times to make sure I was seeing clearly. Yes, I saw the Puppet-Man that I supposedly killed, the Plant-Man that I saw before, but didn't fully see his full creepiness, and the Hmm-Man that had saved my life in an odd way. Honestly, right now, though, Sasori no Akasuna was the one I was most concerned about (even though Inner-Me kept wandering back to that Deidara guy who was looking most certainly fine today). "H-How are you alive, Akasuna?"
He sighed dramatically, as if he told this story a million times. Maybe he had, knowing some of the members here. He waved his hand slightly, "Sakura Haruno. So it was you who the Leader was talking about." He gave me a smirk that was dangerously close to being as sexy as Deidara's, "I'll tell you later."
My eyes came to the blonde, And you? I asked him through my eyes. Deidara was still staring at me and something seemed to click in Sasori's mind.
"You…" he began, "You were Deidara's little clay creation, eh?" His eyes narrowed in a most evil glaring way, perfected over the years, "So, Deidara you lied to me."
"We can talk about this later? I'm honestly not in the mood right now, hmm…"
"I don't care about that."
"Well, I do! You got to be all cool and be like 'I'll tell you later" why can't I?"
Sasori grinned, "Because I'm better than you. And I have a past with this girl." He made it sound worse than it was. I mean, yeah, I killed him… but he made it sound almost provocative, an innuendo.
Hidan feigned gasped, "Sasori!"
Kisame actually gasped and cried, "Sasori!"
The weasel simply got up and left, obviously bored by the conversation already. Kakuzu followed him out; this discussion was useless unless money was involved.
I blinked (again) and an angry vein appeared on my forehead. This asshole seems even more asshole-y than before! "Sasori no Akasuna! Why the fuck do you have to be alive?"
Deidara shook his head, "I ask myself that same question every day, hmm."
Zetsu's white side smiled and his left eye gave off a crinkliness of amusement that would almost match Kakashi's, "You might want to keep your mouth shut, Deidara. You know Sasori-san has a temper at times."
"Hn," was all the clay lover said, an answer that was too close to one of Itachi's. However, he didn't seem to notice at all.
Dude…
Holy shit.
I shook my head, "Surprises suck."
-x-x-x-
DEIDARA POV
Ah! That answer was just like one of that bastard Itachi's. Dammit. I didn't mean to… it just came out. And Sasori-senpai would have made some stupid witty comment about my speech "impediments" if I said "Hmm" instead of "Hn." Ugh! I can never win. I made eye contact with the pink-haired kunoichi and I turned my head the other way. It was proof that we knew each other; that I helped her.
Sasori suddenly stood up and looked at me and said, "I'll deal with you later." Then he looked at the woman, Sakura, "Until later, girl."
As soon as he disappeared, a fist slammed onto the table and made a small dent. Holy crap! Good thing that this table was specially made to not break so easily like the other last… twelve… tables we had. But this girl hadn't even used any chakra, yet she made a dent.
"Heh. I guess this is where I'm sitting then for now on." She patted the dent, and then disappeared as well, probably to her room.
Hidan jerked his head to my direction, "You fucking know that bitch? You half-wit, pansy-ass! Why wouldn't you fucking tell me?"
"Dude, we're so not friends, you jackass."
The man who was a plant and had two personalities looked my way, too. "She's quite strong. Perhaps even stronger than that Hokage Tsunade? Perhaps."
We were all used to Zetsu's talking to himself by now. But then again, I guess he's not honestly talking to himself since another voice is answering him and doesn't sound like his first voice. Nonetheless, I think we all talk to ourselves. I mean, yeah, I do…
I shut my eyes for a moment and got up, getting ready to leave the dining room (adjoined kitchen.
"Deidara, where are you going?" Sasori asked.
Why would you care? "Outside." That's all that I was going to say. Little did they know that I was planning to walk after that Princess. Itachi eyed me curiously, yet stoically, as always, as I walked out of the room. Strange for him. However, I shrugged it off, got a piece of clay out my always-there-clay-pouch, and began to mold a non-chakra-laced clay object.
As I walked down the hallways, I heard a loud crashing and pounding noise come from the Akatsuki's guest room. (Yes, we have guest rooms.) Then an audible yell of, "fuck my life," coming from the room.
I leaned my ear up to the door, to find that it was slightly opened and fell into the room. With both of us wearing wide eyes, I whispered to myself, "Fuck my life."
-x-x-x-
NORMAL POV
I just blinked and stared wide-eyed as the blonde man that I have met only on a few occasional times came tumbling down in my room. The first thought that came to my mind was that he was a pervert, trying to peek on me changing or something. (Good thing I wasn't, then!" But then I saw a look in his eye that wasn't necessarily horny, lustful, perverted, or anything like that. Unless he was really good at covering up what he feels or whatever. I shook my head, Ew.
But anyways, back to the main situation here… What the fuck is he doing by my door, in my room? I wanted to come up with some awesome sarcastic remark or something, but the only thing that I lamely thought of was, "You want something?" Yeah, so awesome. Thanks for helping me out on that one.
My Inner self snorted and glared, You didn't ask me. And, yeah, that was pretty lame. Haha, frigging loser!
I gave her a full on eye-rolling-age and glowered at her, as well.
"Y-Yeah, er, no. What I mean—Dammit, hmm," he was standing up now, looking non-wide-eyed. Then he saw my recent edition to the Akatsuki Guest Room. "Oh," he only said.
I decided to slide just a little bit in front of my dent in the wall so that it was at least a tiny amount out of his view. "What?" I questioned, trying to put it a tad simpler.
"I suppose we need to talk about our little… situation, hmm," he said with a smirk. (Oh so cocky again once he's on his feet… literally.) He walked towards me glanced at the dent. "You did that?"
I nodded once, acknowledging and saying "yes" towards his latter sentence, and then I spoke, to answer the former, "Situation, eh? You mean the whole you covering me in clay?" I gestured towards the lump of clay in his hands that was turning out to be a flower, it seemed. I gave him look that was like, "Really?"
He was in my room more now, and put the flower down on my nightstand, just to get it out of his hands, I suppose. "I guess," he shrugged. "Now, I should probably reintroduce myself, hmm. I'm Deidara. I used to live in Iwa, now I'm here. You're turn?"
Flirty, cocky, bastard…!
But, oh, so hot.
Ah, shut up! "You know who I am now. I'm Sakura Haruno. Konohagakure."
"Ah, I see."
"What exactly do you want to say?—Because you're getting annoying and I need to punch something soon." I added a small smile in there, just to make it seem like I was even crazier. Crazier? What the fruit-juice? I never would ever want to seem crazy in Konoha... when I cared so much about Sasuke, I knew he didn't like psychopath girls. Ugh!
Aw, you're becoming like me, my Inner said all to happily.
I ignored her and focused on the (sexy) blonde in front of me. (Dammit, Inner! Stay outta my thoughts!)
"I just thought that I should let you know that you might want to deny that it was you that I saved, hmm," he began. "Or else Sasori-danna will turn your ass into a puppet."
My eyes narrowed at that name, "Sasori." I cocked my head to the side, "How the hell is he alive anyways? And he looks… human?"
Deidara's eyebrows shot up in amusement, "That's not my story to tell… Princess," he said with a crooked (sexy) grin, of course.
When normally I would have slapped him, thrown something at his face, or scratched his eyes out just because, I stood still. "Don't call me that."
"And why not?"
"I hate it."
"I don't, hmm."
"You're a bastard," I commented.
"Yeah," he said with the same smirk in place.
With my eyes closed, I started speaking, "Now," I opened them, "Get the fuck out of my room."
"Hey, Pri—Sakura, I was just trying to help you out, you know? Remember, deny that you were that clay girl or you'll never get to see this," he winked, "ever again."
"Maybe I'd like 'that' out of my damn sight," I mumbled. Deidara shrugged and walked out, closing the door behind him, but of course not without a goodbye, have a good day, and all that shit. I suddenly wanted sake so very bad and I suddenly missed Tsunade-shishou more than ever. "Tsunade," I murmured as I fell on my bed, "please hurry and wake up." Because I don't know how much longer I can take of all this.
I stared at the crater in the wall that I made out of anger and frustration until I was half-asleep, but soon a too obnoxious, too familiarly annoying knock was heard at my door. "Naruto, go away! I'm not home!"
"Who's Naruto, Sakura-chan? Tobi's Tobi!"
I closed my eyes as I shoved a black pillow over my face and ears, thanking Deidara a bit for locking the door behind him, even if it was a simple lock. Naruto? I said Naruto, I shook my head, even under that pillow, I must be homesick or something.
…Yeah, my alter-ego seemed to sign in concurrence. Even she seemed to be homesick. And it's only been day one of life two. This life in the Akatsuki is a whole new life for me, it's so new, so different… so not me, it seemed.
-x-x-x-
A certain silver (or could be perceived as white) haired man ran through the forest, heading back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He was coming home from a mission, though, honestly, he had no idea why he was sent on a mission at a time like this. Konoha was in trouble, however, it didn't all know that yet.
He sighed as a sound was heard to the side of him and a sickly chakra he sensed that, he'd admit, unnerved him at the moment since he was almost chakra-drained and close to the village. He decided to just go all out with it and use his Sharingan. Pulling up his hitai-ate, he glanced around, only to see that he was alone. The chakra he had sensed was gone, as well.
"What the hell?" Kakashi muttered as he pulled his headband down into its rightful place.
As soon as the man was back inside his village, reported to Shizune and some of the Elders, he went to see his Hokage. Tsunade-sama was in an underground hospital room place where only a few selected medic-nins (including Ino Yamanaka) watched over he and took care, trying their bests to cure their Hokage. However, their bests just wasn't good enough, unfortunately.
"If only Sakura," he began, and finished his statement with a thought; …was here. He had cleared the room of nurses and sat by Tsunade he laid on a hospital bed with shut eyes and a relaxed expression for once. Kakashi shut his eyes as he leaned his back upon the wall and crossed his arms. "You ever going to wake up, Tsunade-sama? It's getting a bit troublesome with you always out like this… Dammit, I sound like the Nara genius." He shook his head and grinned under his mask, "Aren't you strong enough to get yourself out of this situation?" Kakashi's smile deepened as he spoke, "I would have bet that you could have." But then he frowned and his lone eye that you could see seemed to become sad as well, "But I guess I would have lost that bet." Hatake opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling, "I guess our only hope is Sakura now, huh?" He glanced over at the unconscious woman, "If you're in some state where you're between heaven and earth, beseech God that Sakura is proved innocent and can come home and heal you," he sighed, "Because it seems that she's your only hope, Tsunade."
She seems to be all of our only hopes anymore. Because if she doesn't come and cure the Hokage soon, someone else will want to fill Tsunade's shoes. And he had his doubts about the people he would happily step up to the plate to become Hokage—even if temporary. A bad feeling, indeed. Even if Shizune became Temporary Hokage, he wasn't sure if she could hold everything down and be strong enough. Hell, half the time he wondered if even he himself was strong enough. Well, I guess the question is… What is true strength? I suppose the Hokages, all five of them so far, had it. But too bad all of them four of them have died and one is unconscious, so no one can ask them now.
Damn.
