Oneshot commission for LadyOfFrostAndICE
Impulse
By: Rise of the Blossom
Damn it, he hated Uchiha Itachi for screwing with his life and not a day went by where he didn't curse the older man.
Joining any kind of organisation, no matter how accepting they were of his art or even encouraging of him using said art, was never Deidara's intention. With an organisation came obligations, he was tied down and was once more following another's orders, which was exactly what he'd wanted to get away from when leaving Iwa.
Travelling as a nomad and living by his own rules was his idea of a good time. Sleeping whenever he wanted, blowing up whatever he wanted, doing whatever he wanted.
Prior to losing his battle against Itachi, Deidara spent all of three weeks living freely, though whenever he thought back on that time, it never felt like it was half as long as it was. And now look at him. Stuck with an imbecile who wasn't even a fraction of the person Sasori was. One arm reattached thanks to that jinchūriki brat's sand, forced to replace the other arm with some random person's after that bastard Copy-Ninja used his bullshit jutsu–
Deidara took a deep breath to try and quell the simmering rage, lest he lost his temper once more. It was a losing battle and it certainly didn't help matters that the sting of grief remained as sharp as ever.
The only upside to his being a part of the Akatsuki was finding another who valued art as greatly as himself. Although their views differed, the appreciation was not lost and Deidara lived for the debates that left him furiously enthusiastic to prove Sasori no Danna wrong.
Now he was about to be stuck with some braindead moron who looked as though he couldn't even wipe his own ass, never mind capture a tailed beast.
Why couldn't they find someone more reliable? Not that Deidara wanted to replace his good man Sasori but having a partner who could actually be beneficial to their goal of obtaining all nine tailed beasts wouldn't go amiss, rather than placing his life at a greater risk trying to cover someone else's ass. Hell, doing it alone was better than working with that idiot Tobi.
Did they even know what techniques he could use? What was his purpose exactly? Screech and goof around and hope that the jinchūriki would laugh so hard they handed themselves over? It certainly wasn't anything serious.
…Unless it was their Leader's way of punishing him?
Scoffing, Deidara trudged forward through the forest all the while damning Tobi, Akatsuki and that bastard Uchiha Itachi to the seven pits of hell. They were all a pain in his ass. All he wanted was to create art and live freely without having to follow some fool's orders, yet he was shackled once again in chains that were indestructible this time.
Try as he might, he saw no way of truly freeing himself from them. There was only one person who turned their back on Akatsuki – the rest only left when they were killed.
Not for the first time, he felt a tiny shred of reluctant admiration and envy towards Orochimaru as Deidara toyed around with the idea of defecting. As much as he hated the other man, he could never deny that he'd achieved what the blond deemed to be impossible, although unlike Orochimaru, he definitely wouldn't spend his freedom hiding away in the ground like a snake.
It was safe to say that the Legendary Sannin wasn't short on enemies given his lifetime of grievances, torture and personal vendetta against Konoha. If he crept out of the woodwork, they would descend on him from all angles, which made his burrowing underground more understandable to an extent. However, Deidara could do no such thing if he managed to walk away from the Akatsuki.
That did pose the question, however, of: what would he do?
It wasn't worth thinking about, not when it would never become a reality for him. To ponder what ifs knowing he could never break his chains without dying was purely masochistic of him, and Deidara had no intentions of winding himself up further seeing as he was already in a foul mood. When said mood reached its peak, everyone knew about it and he'd rather that blundering moron didn't disturb the rare moment of somewhat peace he had to himself.
But somebody was determined on destroying the wavering peace, and Deidara's eyes narrowed in contempt at the light-hearted laughter that echoed around the forest.
Although it couldn't be for definite due to his nearing mountains, he suspected the grating sound to be somewhere in the distance, possibly east of where he was now. The tricky thing about travelling around mountains and the forest was that the majority of sounds couldn't actually be pinpointed – like the sounds of gushing water or the shouts of animals or people. They always echoed and more often than not wrongfully guided those who were exploring or desperately trying to escape. It was how most civilians became lost.
Deidara sighed with annoyance and raised his guards, though refused to slow or stop his pace. Prior to his joining the Akatsuki, he wasn't exactly unknown and confrontation was likely because of the hunter-nin on his case, but the cloak that signified his part in the organisation was like a blaring siren that drew the shinobi of all five nations towards him now that they were directly targeting the tailed beasts.
Oh, Deidara loved fighting. He loved using his explosions and creating magnificent art that gave him the greatest of highs that could last for days at a time. However, there were times when fighting for his life just grew… stale. A majority of the time his art was tied into battle, but it didn't have to be.
All he wanted was to make art.
Shit, he inwardly growled and came to a halt beneath a tree, blending himself into the darkness as well as one could in the middle of the day. Luckily for him, they were deep into the forest and with how clustered the trees were at that particular part, angling his body in a specific way kept him from being discovered, although his position was quickly jeopardised upon his recognising one of the kunoichi in the team that strolled by him without a care. He'd recognise that ridiculous shade of pink anywhere.
It was that kunoichi, Deidara realised with a sharp jolt of discontent that caused a disgusting twisting of his stomach. The one who was on the same team as the Kyuubi's jinchūriki, the one who'd reduced that entire area to rubble.
The one who killed Sasori no Danna.
Just as greatly as he hated Uchiha Itachi for screwing up his life, he hated that kunoichi for taking away the only upside of his being in Akatsuki.
What he wouldn't give to have one of his creations wrap itself around that pretty little neck that was way too exposed to belong to a skilled kunoichi. The carelessness and easy-going manner she handled herself out in the open as they were infuriated him, because it didn't match up to the skillset that would be required to take down a man as talented as Sasori had been.
No, blowing her head off wasn't good enough, although part of him did strongly believe that using his art would be the perfect way of honouring his partner.
No, Deidara wanted to wrap his own hands around her neck. He wanted to watch the light slowly fade from those shockingly green eyes and savour every goddamn minute.
Acting impulsively wasn't an option when working for Akatsuki. The organisation's goal was to become his and that was final. However, witnessing how carefree she was as she meandered by, chatting loudly and cheerfully with her team of mediocre shinobi, was infuriating to him. How could such an idiot – one who couldn't even sense the danger lurking by or knew to keep her goddamn voice down – take down Sasori?
As a member of Akatsuki, Deidara wasn't supposed to act impulsively.
But he'd never been a fan of rules.
With a curling upper lip, he sank back into the darkness of the trees, sights set on the laughing pink-haired kunoichi.
Separating her was laughably easy.
The highest rank in the entire team couldn't have been more than chūnin, for the blatant lack of experience screamed at him as each member of the team went for the most predictable counterattacks. They backed themselves into avoidable corners that had Deidara scoffing at the pitifulness of Konoha-nin.
However, he wasn't about to underestimate the wench who managed to take down someone as strong as Sasori, even if she didn't live up to the expectations. That point only succeeded in pissing him the hell off and in response to that permanently simmering rage, Deidara swept down on his clay bird without a shred of remorse, snatching the kunoichi up and silencing her with a hand slapping over her mouth.
He ignored her gagging when his creations forced their way passed her lips, scurrying inside of her mouth, using her distraction to peel away from the floundering team that couldn't have even told him what their names were in that moment. They clearly wouldn't be an issue for him even if they gave chase and Deidara scoffed disdainfully, releasing the pink hair.
They dove haphazardly through the trees on the back of his clay creation until Deidara deemed it safe enough to have them ascend into the sky. It was obvious the kunoichi wasn't going to give him any trouble as she remained hunched over, hacking and retching and trying her damned hardest to regurgitate all that he'd forced her to swallow.
"I wouldn't," Deidara hatefully warned her and looked ahead of himself, features setting into a cold mask in the hopes it would quell his rage not seeing her face. "Strain too hard and they'll detonate in your stomach, blowing you up from the inside."
It took a further seven seconds for the kunoichi to bring herself to peer up at him through the mess of pink hair, and he delighted in the recognition that had all colour in her skin draining rapidly.
"You…!"
The horror etched into her features was exquisite, although the murderous itch that had his hands twitching towards his clay pouches almost made it impossible to appreciate the fear.
"What do you want?" she demanded thickly.
Her attempts of acting tough would have been laughable had he not wanted to so badly blow that pretty little head off, like she wasn't aware of how openly she was displaying her true emotions for all to see and Deidara felt the itch increasing exponentially.
Really, Sasori no Danna? He thought angrily to his deceased partner. This is what took you down? This pathetic excuse of a kunoichi?
Rather than answering the direct questions, Deidara focused on their soaring through the skies and ignored the fear that entered every inch of the kunoichi's body when she noted the distance that they were creating between them and her team. Only a fool would try to escape while travelling at such high speeds and he could tell from the dejected expression on her face that she knew the fall would likely kill her – if his explosives didn't detonate for the attempt, that was.
Instead, she lingered on the edge of his clay bird and stared out of the forest below them without a flicker of hope or strength in her body language. He could no longer read her expression due the wind causing her hair to obscure her face, though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Looking at the girl infuriated him further and Deidara wasn't known for his patience or self-control.
But killing her was too easy.
Within seconds of encountering her, he knew he had the upper hand. He could have killed her there and then and been done with it.
People who wanted to live were riddled with weaknesses for him to exploit, and the kunoichi before him clearly so desperately wanted to continue living. Knowing she was out of her depth against him, she grew compliant quickly – almost too quickly for his liking and after just a moment of careful consideration, Deidara raised his guards just that little bit higher. Clearly there was something about her that made her powerful enough to overcome Sasori. His partner had been resilient to all thrown his way and was enough to make Orochimaru wary, so how was it a girl who appeared only a couple of years younger than Deidara himself, defeated him?
Damn it, he had to know. It wasn't enough for him to simply know that Sasori was dead. Despite seeing his partner's broken and lifeless body for himself, it just wouldn't sink in and Deidara wanted out of that surreal, bordering on denial, stage of grief that left him in a constant state of rage fuelled by his disbelief.
Whether she liked it or not, she was sticking around for the long haul, or however long it took him to feel at peace with Sasori's death.
Plan in mind, he forced the kunoichi to grip a tighter hold of the clay bird when he silently instructed it to fly faster, its large wings flapping so powerfully that it distorted the winds slamming into them.
The Akatsuki possessed many hideouts throughout the nations, all of varying levels of standards. Some of them never failed to make Deidara's skin crawl at the mere thought of bunkering down in one of them, for the state was so unsanitary that staying outside without any supplies and leaving himself open to the elements was certainly a safer option.
Fortunately for his plan's sake (and his sanity's), the hideout he found was a basic cave burrowed deep into the mountains and he wasted no time in shoving the kunoichi off his creation and inside. Fearful eyes met his and Deidara didn't need to wonder what was going through her mind, for it was written all over her face that she was predicting the absolute worst. And why wouldn't she? She was clearly a pitiful kunoichi who was weak against his jutsu, who didn't have the faintest idea how to counter whatever he threw at her and they were entering a dank cave. With his clay inside of her stomach, she was helpless against him.
And he would make sure it stayed that way.
"What do you want from me?" she demanded quietly but contradicted her false bravado by instinctively taking a step back when he entered the cave too. "If this is about Naruto then you can just kill me already. I'm not telling you anything."
Despite the fear written all over her body, Deidara could tell she meant every word and was determined to protect the jinchūriki – admittedly, he was a little impressed by the dedication, but ultimately, he felt more annoyed than anything else. What was the point in signing her life away for a monster?
"You'll draw him out of Konoha," he muttered, unwilling to share that he really wanted to push her for information on Sasori. If he did, then the possibility of her withholding information in response to the certainty of dying once she shared everything increased exponentially. "Doing this saves me the trouble of going after him, yeah."
It wasn't so farfetched and was once even a plan he and Sasori considered while going after the Ichibi. However, going off the information they'd had around that time, the likelihood of Sabaku no Gaara turning his back on his siblings should they happen to abduct them was too high for them to take that route. Besides, Sasori had seemingly had a grudge against the village and Deidara admittedly enjoyed laying waste to it while battling the Kazekage. He'd revelled in the man's desperation to protect his village, and his despair when it became apparent that he couldn't save them all.
Uzumaki Naruto, however, was well known within Akatsuki for his naïve nature and tendency to rush in without thinking his actions through. Luring him out of the almost fortified Konoha wasn't impossible, although Deidara knew shaking his watchers would be difficult (just not as difficult as taking on an entire village). Taking his teammate was a plausible strategy considering how deeply he valued his bonds – proving as much with his fiery display of raw grief and rage when they'd killed the other jinchūriki brat.
"They won't fall for it," the girl tried, sneering at him like he was an idiot and setting his blood on fire. "You're just wasting your time–"
He rounded on her without issue and slapped a hand over her mouth to silence her, glaring down at the fearful eyes that shot to his at the compromising position. To display the differences in their strengths and experiences, Deidara shoved her up against the wall and curled his upper lip, not surprised in the least when she didn't put up a fight.
"Don't talk down to me, kunoichi," he muttered in cold warning. "I could easily end your life and not feel a shred of remorse."
The words shook her – it was obvious from the paling of her features.
Damn it, Konoha-nin were way too open in their emotions.
It was with a snarl of disdain that he pressed away from her face harshly, shoving her head back into the wall. "I don't know how the hell someone like you managed to take down Sasori no Danna but trust my words when I tell you: you don't stand a chance of defeating me."
"S-Sasori…?"
Oh? Hiding his curiosity, he glowered down on her trembling form, the momentary flash of clarity in her eyes causing him to strengthen his guards.
She was playing dumb.
It wasn't unusual amongst weaker appearing shinobi for them to play up said appearance and he cursed himself for being foolish enough to believe this wench wouldn't do the same, since appearance-wise she didn't look like much. His initial thought after seeing her for the very first time back when they'd killed Gaara was nothing more than hysterical laughter, because clearly Konoha didn't value their ally all that much if they sent such an embarrassment of a squad after them.
But then she'd taken down Sasori and he found himself missing both arms.
No, underestimating her would be a mistake on his part. Deidara hadn't survived for as long as he had (granted, at times by the skin of his teeth) by sheer luck and he would prove the difference in their power quite happily should she try to trick him in any way.
"I'm not looking for a fight," the girl wisely told him and held up her hands to prove as much, showing him she was unarmed. "But know that I will defend myself if this is some kind of revenge for defeating Sasori."
Had that been the case then he would have killed her the moment he saw her. No, he wanted answers and once he had them, then…
Then what?
Either way, Sasori was dead. His partner was gone. What would answers do for him at that point? Grant him some form of closure? Was that even what he needed? Would that even help it sink in for him?
Deidara wasn't sure what the hell he was even doing at that point and the realisation that he'd allowed his impulsiveness to guide him into a messy situation had him inwardly cursing and turning away from her. He couldn't let the kunoichi know that he'd messed up. It would give her an edge.
"This is purely to lure the Kyuubi away from Konoha," he lied through his teeth.
"And when it doesn't work?" she challenged. "They're not going to let Naruto leave the village by himself. You'll face off against Hokage-sama herself before you step within a ten mile radius of Naruto."
Did she really think so highly of herself? To believe her Hokage actually cared for her enough to take on the Akatsuki herself was downright ludicrous–
Oh, shit.
Shit. What had he done?
Haruno Sakura – that was her name. The Hokage's apprentice.
Ah, Pein was going to kill him.
"Shut up," he snarled in her general direction.
This was precisely why he worked so well with Sasori. The guy was as sadistic as they come, but he'd always managed to suppress that impulsive streak within Deidara and mellowed out his oftentimes volatile moods with that vexing indifference. He was by no means an idiot, but that side of himself sometimes had him questioning whether he was or not.
Inhaling deeply in an effort to calm the rage within, Deidara stepped back to the mouth of the cave and assessed the sea of trees that hid them from view.
He could make it work in his favour. They'd already established that Uzumaki Naruto was a wildcard who ran into battle without assessing the situation beforehand. If word spread that the Akatsuki had captured Haruno Sakura, then it was only a matter of time before that moron came out of hiding to defend her. Then, once he finally caught up to them with the intentions of saving his teammate, he would avenge Sasori and put her down in front of him. He would be too enraged to fight to the best of his ability that way too.
Maybe he could even repay the favour of blowing off an arm or two in the meantime?
Smirking, Deidara finally allowed himself to meet the eye of Sakura as he turned to lean against the stone wall, assessing the glower that was probably supposed to be scary.
He was totally unprepared for her suddenly vicious smirk, however.
A moment later and he was forced to duck beneath an abrupt kick that had him almost losing his balance as the aftershock of raw power slammed into him, blue eyes widening when she didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a second before rounding on him once more with a loud yell of anger.
Growling and finally losing his patience at the fourth attempt to land a blow, Deidara raised his hand and extended two of his fingers, the rest closing into a tight fist as he lunged backwards and snarled, "Katsu!"
But Sakura merely came to a standstill and grinned fiercely, slamming her fist into the palm of her hand while telling him, "Nice try but I'm a medic-nin."
"You…!"
"It took me a while, but I've finally managed to break apart the explosives in my stomach," she told him darkly and shot forward, left fist drawing back with a startling streak of blue chakra. "Now stay still for me and die."
He'd definitely made a mistake in underestimating her, damn it.
Why the hell was he so off his game since Sasori's death? Why was he allowing it to affect him so greatly?
In her distraction of swinging madly for him to try and land a single blow, Deidara created several explosives though didn't detonate them, lest he wished to blow apart the entire cave. Instead he attempted to wait patiently for his opening but drew the line at the knee aiming for his crotch, expertly dodging her attacks before he managed to land a firm boot to her stomach, sending her slamming into the wall with a sharp whoosh of air.
He admired the sharpness of her features during her momentary distress, the twisting that signified her pain and helplessness as his creations crept across her skin, centipedes settling around her wrists like bracelets and another like a choker around her neck drawing him closer.
The girl was an enigma. Her appearance screamed delicacy and femininity, the splashes of her vibrant colouring demanding and pretty like she needed all attention to be on her. Yet Haruno Sakura determinedly worked against his preconceptions by revealing the darker parts of herself the moment his back was turned, apparently not caring in the least about accepting how low she had to go to try and free herself. There was absolutely nothing delicate about that monstrous strength that he barely managed to contain with his threats of blowing her head off, nor was she all that feminine as she randomly resorted to thuggish behaviour like she was trying to throw him off balance.
"I told you already that you don't stand a chance, kunoichi. Accept your fate already, yeah."
The terror in her eyes was obvious, but still, she snarled at him, "Like hell!"
Breaking her would be fun, Deidara decided, and he grinned down at her hatefully while grasping her chin, admiring the deep shade of green of her furious eyes. He didn't even care about moving on from his grief at that point, didn't care about avenging Sasori.
That firecracker personality was so much like his explosions with its shocking, sudden switches that threatened to leave him in a daze should he be caught up in them. And like his explosions, like her goddamn namesake, her life was going to be equally as fleeting.
That was his plan.
He couldn't wait.
"Oi."
Expertly, Sakura ducked her head out of the way of the small rock he'd tossed at her, but much to his annoyance, she didn't look his way or humoured him with her foul temper or mouth. Instead, she pointedly looked anywhere but at him as they made their way through the forest on foot.
"Where's that sharp tongue of yours disappeared to?" he taunted cruelly and smirked. "Entertain me, kunoichi."
But he was ignored once more and Deidara's upper lip curled with frustration.
Had he somehow been too open in his plans of breaking her? Had Sakura managed to read his goddamn thoughts? Why else would she be remaining so placid? Why wasn't she biting at his bait? It wasn't entertaining if she fizzled out like a dud – he wanted the most powerful of explosions that threatened to permanently deafen him or end his life altogether if he got too close.
It'd been half a day since he'd abducted Haruno Sakura and after witnessing her team searching the area desperately, Deidara had decided it was best they vacated the forest altogether. Since shackling the kunoichi with his clay creations, she'd seemingly been on her best behaviour, though he was anticipating round two soon enough. There was no way a temper as bad as hers had suddenly been tamed.
She was definitely biding her time for some kind of opening.
And he would be ready when she struck.
She didn't strike.
She didn't even talk.
It had been two days.
He was rapidly going insane.
That was undoubtedly her plan – to drive him crazy with her silence, to make him question her ulterior motives whenever she watched him as critically as she currently was. She wanted him to lose his shit, knowing that he would end it quickly for her if that happened.
"I've scared you so badly that you're a mute now, yeah?" he questioned blandly when they bunkered down for the night.
They were on the outskirts of Fire Nation now and the change in scenery visibly had an effect on Sakura, who closed in on herself after collapsing backwards into a tree. The sight of her was a pitiful one – one that had him itching to piss her off enough to snap at him in some way.
What was it going to take to get her to talk? How was he supposed to find out how she brought Sasori down when she wouldn't even answer simple yes or no questions?
Growling with annoyance, he tossed his canteen at her feet and ordered, "Drink. You're no use to me half-dead."
Nothing.
Stubbornly, the kunoichi glared down at the canteen of water and her jaw clenched, the sight of her swallowing hard enough for him to know that she was thirsty. But then she kicked it away.
Would she really go so far to protect that jinchūriki? Why would she put her life on the line and essentially allow herself to fade away from dehydration? Was such a monster really worth her life?
It'd been two days since she'd had anything to drink and Deidara knew the effects of dehydration were going to kick in soon enough, if they hadn't already.
Blue eyes rolled and he stalked away to the fire he was in the process of building. It was only a matter of time before she gave in.
Deidara wasn't sure whether to admire her determination or not.
Oh, it certainly pissed him off. He loathed the idea of someone shattering his plans, especially as effortlessly as she currently was. Deidara was used to anger and heat and despair, not unsettling silence and impassive gazes and it had him questioning if she even had a plan of escape at that point.
Really, what good was she half-dead?
On the third day of silence and refusing to eat or drink, Deidara had resigned himself to forcing water into her system. Even for him it hadn't been pleasant and he'd inwardly cringed whenever Sakura started choking on the water, however, she wasn't dying until he was done with her. And so he kept her pinned effortlessly and continued to hold her mouth open, only stopping once the water ran out and he was certain she'd had enough to hydrate herself (at least until he had to repeat his actions).
A week had gone by quickly since that day and truth be told, Deidara was starting to lose interest in his plan. Clearly, she wasn't going to play along or humour him and he quickly grew bored of looking at her despondent features.
Maybe he should just kill her and get it over with?
They didn't necessarily need her alive to draw the Kyuubi out of Konoha – it was crystal clear that he was ruled by emotions, so would stop at nothing to avenge his teammate if news reached him that they'd killed her.
Either way she was going to die. Either by his hand or her own sheer stubbornness–
Deidara swiftly dodged the senbon that was aimed for his eyes and knocked a shoulder into Sakura's side to shove her out of the way also.
The change in her demeanour was remarkable and he noted the hope that brightened her features instantaneously, hands falling to her sides and body language expressing her happiness. A hopeful smile pulled at her cracking lips, eyes widening eagerly.
It lasted all of three seconds before she realised what he already had: it wasn't her comrades coming to rescue her, it was Iwa hunter-nin coming after him.
Well versed in his techniques, they attempted to keep their distance and come at him from his blind spots, but surprisingly, Sakura came in handy for that. Her reactions gave everything away and reminded him once more how emotionally weak Konoha-nin were, although he couldn't really complain seeing as it aided him in taking down two of the six hunter-nin.
"She must be the one leaving the trail," Deidara was infuriated to hear one of the operatives mutter and he cast a cold glare in Sakura's direction, wondering just when the hell she managed to find enough openings to leave a trail.
"That's the Hokage's apprentice!" another warned in a loss hiss. "What should we do about her, taichou?"
"Nothing. She's of no use to us."
Of course they wouldn't consider the advantages of saving the Hokage's apprentice – people were so stupid. They had the chance to make the Hokage indebted to them, yet they completely overlooked her.
Morons.
Deidara lunged backwards the moment he registered movement, canting his head sideways to avoid the kunai.
Wisely, the hunter-nin had read up on him and kept their distance, hiding behind trees and frequently changing their spots to keep him guessing. But the problem with their strategy was that they would never get close enough to take him out of his comfort zone. Forcing him to rely on taijutsu was what they should have been aiming for because while his skills in that area were above average, it was only just due to never really needing to get that close to people. He relied mostly on his long distance jutsu to get the job done.
It was a pain to draw out the battle, though. He'd wanted to remain undercover a little while longer before he was eventually summoned by Pein.
Persistent bastards, he thought disdainfully. Hurtling bomb after bomb their way while also maintaining a visual on his captive was maddening and left him full of openings, but what could he do? To drop his guard around Sakura for even a moment was simply asking for trouble. She was itching for the chance to get away. She'd already proven to be sneakier than–
Shit.
More were coming.
He had to retreat while he still had the chance.
It was second nature now creating his clay creatures and it took all of two seconds for a huge bird to come into existence, ready to take off the second they were aboard. But that was when he noticed a supposedly stray kunai missing him by entire foot, forcing his attention away from the hunter-nin who were supposed to be after him.
But then again, this was the Hokage's apprentice.
He purposely had one of the centipedes from around her wrists dropping away, promptly exploding once it was far enough from her to not cause severe damage, however even as she was knocked off balance by the explosion, it wasn't enough to spare her from superficial damage and her curse was loud and furious when blood oozed to the surface of her cheek.
"Learn how to aim properly, bastards!" she snarled.
Irrationally infuriated that they were the ones who broke her silence, he hurtled a considerably larger bomb their way, growling hatefully under his breath at the deafening boom, at the responding tremors that had her stumbling in her weakened condition.
Deidara swiftly closed the distance between them and slipped an arm around her waist to yank Sakura upwards, holding her close against him as they made a swift retreat from the hunter-nin on the back of his clay bird.
Previously, he wouldn't have thought twice about hanging around and turning them into his interpretation of art, revelling in the magnificent sights and sounds of their despair. With her in tow, however, he was too distracted, and it was ridiculously obvious that she would use said distraction against him and escape – or worse, the hunter-nin really could put him down. He couldn't risk that. Not when they were so close.
Deceivingly delicate hands came to his chest shakily and prompted him to glance down at the girl in his arm, keeping his gaze steady on hers until the rapid colouring of her features had him raising an eyebrow.
Interesting.
"You… saved me," she murmured croakily, reminding him of the fact that she'd refused to eat or drink much. "Why…? You didn't have to."
"It would have been easy letting you die," Deidara agreed. Lowering his arm from around her, he allowed Sakura to take an uneasy step back, watching curiously as tired green eyes stared hopelessly at the trees that zoomed by below them. "I probably should have after that stunt you pulled."
The colour remained in her cheeks and she refused to look at him. "…What else am I supposed to do?"
Don't get him wrong, he was furious that she'd given away his position in such a way. Years had gone by since the last time hunter-nin managed to track him down, for they could never quite catch his scent and remained several steps behind. To have them breathing down his neck thanks to that kunoichi angered him.
However, Deidara was impressed by her acting. He'd truly believed that Sakura had accepted her fate and given up. More than that, he admired the perseverance of surviving.
Rather than coming at him with reckless attacks that would result in her injury or death, she was using her head and leaving traces for her comrades to find. Hell, now that he was considerably calmer about the whole situation, Deidara could even admit that he was floored by her breaking down the clay he'd forced down her throat. Not many could keep from losing their heads right off that bat, yet she'd succeeded in doing so – not just that but played up other moments too. She'd succeeded in convincing him to fixate on how she didn't match up to the image of the kunoichi who took Sasori down and attacked the moment his guards were lowered.
Maybe she was tough enough to defeat his partner?
"Is it always like that?" she questioned quietly, voice almost carried away by the winds as they kept up the same fast paced flying. The more distance created the better. "People trying to kill you?"
Deidara snorted at the naivety of her question. "I am a rogue-nin, yeah."
"And a member of the Akatsuki," Sakura muttered while eyeing his cloak disdainfully, like it somehow offended her ancestors.
"That too."
Silence fell over them until they gradually slowed in speed, and Deidara surveyed the area below them critically. They'd been heading east, but he wouldn't know for sure where they ended up until they came across a few tells. Sasori was always the one who commandeered where they were going and the routes, and with his being the elder and having made such travels many times in the past, Deidara had believed only an idiot would question him or try to demand a different route.
It was only once they were on the ground once more that Sakura looked back to him and frowned, asking softly, "Don't you ever get tired of fighting for your life?"
Were Konoha-nin really so easily swayed, or was it a flaw in her own personality? It wasn't even an act of kindness, although he was certain by the tension in her muscles that she believed it to be so. All he did was keep his captive from being killed before he was done with her.
Suspicious of it being a trick or a new angle to try and escape, he muttered, "What does it matter if I do? It won't change anything."
"Of course it matters," Sakura argued, and that pretty frown deepened.
"You're so naïve."
"Better naïve than an asshole who ruins people's lives."
He stared at her for a moment then muttered disbelievingly, "…Are you stupid?"
In what world was being naïve ever good – or better than something else, anyway? Was the kunoichi dropped on her head a few too many times as an infant? What the hell kind of shinobi was Konoha training and did others have similar beliefs? How the hell weren't they wiped out already?
"Are you?"
Upper lip curling, he snapped, "That's not a real argument!"
She was infuriating.
Three days dragged by.
At first, some of the comebacks were funny – Deidara could admit that Sakura's quick wit had him fiercely containing his laughter, lest he wished to give her the wrong idea – but now… Now it was three days later and she wouldn't shut the hell up. He was no longer fighting back laughter at her funny responses, he was fighting back hysterical laughter at how screwed he truly was.
Gods, he was too impulsive for his own good, and several different nights now, Deidara dreamed of Sasori telling him on repeat that this was his punishment, and that it was his turn now. Punishment for what, he was unsure. But either way, the kunoichi who took down his good man Sasori, was now going to kill him too.
"You're going through some kind of list," he accused that night as they sat at a campfire. "One hundred ways to escape your abductor."
The smile shot his way was far too sharp to be friendly, and Deidara damned himself for finding it attractive. "Is it working?"
By now, news of Sakura's abduction would have spread throughout the village and he imagined his own comrades to intervene at some point – not necessarily put a stop to his actions, for no matter what way they looked at it, capturing the Kyuubi was a sure thing now. But they would want a say in how their captive was held.
…and he couldn't deny it caused a hollowness in his stomach thinking about it.
With that spitfire attitude and chaotic personality, it was for definite that Sakura wouldn't survive for long as the Akatsuki's official captive. Hell, they didn't take captives. They killed and moved on, for it was easier to continue with their goals not having captives weighing them down. Killing her would be easier, and they'd do it without hesitating. Some – mainly Hidan – would even drag it out for their own sick entertainment.
It unforgivably made him feel sick picturing the scenes.
She was drinking without his assistance now, though he knew it was more than likely to avoid coming into close proximity with him again. There was no denying that she'd liked his touch – or her body did, at least – and Deidara wouldn't lie by saying he was against using that form of persuasion to get what he wanted.
But what did he want at that point? He sure as hell didn't know. At first, he'd wanted to use the kunoichi to move past that stage of grief that he was trapped in. Then he'd toyed with the idea of actually using her to draw out Uzumaki Naruto, just as he and Sasori once planned. Now…
Resisting the urge to drop his head and sigh as his own impulsive nature screwed him over once again, Deidara instead snorted at Sakura's question, telling her, "Keep stinking up the place like you are right now and I'll probably let you go, yeah."
She was so pretty when she blushed, he thought to himself before he could shut it down, and he damned himself for finding himself becoming a victim to his own impulses and hormones yet again.
"I don't exactly have the luxury of a bathtub, do I?" she shot back hotly. Shame flashed through her expression and she suddenly refused to meet his eye, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. "Or privacy, for that matter."
He snorted again. "Nice try, but I'm not letting you out of my sight."
But she didn't argue back like she had been for the past few days, instead keeping her downcast gaze fixated on the fire. Her nod was meek and expression subdued, arms coming around herself self-consciously.
And goddamn it, he hated himself for pitying her.
Pointedly ignoring the wary hope in Sakura's expression as he stepped aside, Deidara waited for her to enter the hideout first. It was hidden way in Oto – a little too close to the last known whereabouts of Orochimaru for his liking, but it would do.
"There's running water," he announced in a grunt and brushed by her to place his cloak over one of the dusty chairs. "Go wash."
It'd barely been twelve hours since Deidara noted how much her physical state was beginning to get to her, and while he would have preferred to wait longer so that it didn't appear as though he was moved by her emotions or was going soft, it just couldn't be helped. Honestly? He was moved and that disgusting wave of guilt repeated itself every time he noticed the self-consciousness in her body language.
He hated himself for it.
Why was he okay with murder, but not abducting someone? How could he be perfectly happy to lay waste to an entire village of innocent people, but itching with discomfort holding someone captive? Was it because she was technically the first person he'd ever kidnapped (as in, she was conscious and not half-dead)? Was it down to the conversations and his appreciating the firecracker personality that forced him to keep on his toes around her?
Whatever it was, he didn't like it. But going against it made his skin crawl.
"R-Really?" Sakura questioned warily and stepped towards the hall.
"Yeah," he grunted uncaringly. When she lingered uncertainly, he snapped, "Go before I change my mind."
"What about…?" Awkwardly, she lifted her wrists to gesture to the bombs.
Deidara sent her a blank look in response, wondering if it was her naïve nature that made her believe he was stupid too. Like hell was he going to release his makeshift shackles. It was probably one of few things keeping his head from being forcibly removed from his shoulders.
"Don't push your luck, kunoichi," he muttered with a clear warning to his tone that had her nodding quickly. "And don't think drenching them will turn them into duds, either."
Disappointment flickered in her gaze, giving away Sakura's intentions and it foolishly managed to lower his annoyance somewhat, leaving him to hide his smirk beneath his bangs when he turned away.
Stupid girl.
While she busied herself with scrubbing away weeks' worth of dirt and grime, Deidara left a clone in the hideout and disappeared to the nearby town, cursing himself the entire way due to the sentimental plan he had in mind.
However, the kunoichi truly did reek and he saw no point in spending so long cleaning oneself only to finish off by putting on the same stinking clothes. She'd been alternating between two sets of clothes, and they were well worn by that point and forced him to take pity on her.
Besides, he needed a few clean items himself anyway.
Refusing to agonise over the choices in two separate stores, he chose neutral of everything and chose the smaller sizes with the vision of her petite frame in mind. If they didn't fit or weren't to her liking, then that was Sakura's problem to deal with. He'd done his part. She should feel grateful that he'd shown even the smallest amounts of empathy–
Empathy.
Was that why he was softening up to her?
Holy shit, why hadn't that word come to mind sooner while he pondered over his taking pity on her?
Lips turning down at the corners in surprised contemplation, Deidara meandered his way back to the hideout.
"Ha," Deidara barked out loudly, smirking to himself a moment later.
Sasori would have gotten a kick out of the sight of him growing soft on the kunoichi who took him down. The puppet master had been adamant about not feeling a damn thing, but there was no way a man could argue so fiercely about art or grow so vexed over having to wait around if that was the case. Deidara had learned that the redhead merely suppressed those emotions – that or he'd been a sociopath.
Ah, it made more sense now and he felt a minute weight shifting from his shoulders when the sight of the cabin nestled between huge grassy hills came into view.
They were both people who'd had freedom stripped from them, Deidara allowed, although he wasn't about to start feeling bad for being the one to take hers. Regardless of his own personal feelings on freedom, that kunoichi was the reason why Sasori was dead and why hunter-nin managed to catch up to him again. She was going to be the reason why they succeeded in capturing Uzumaki Naruto.
After all, once all the jinchūriki were obtained, Akatsuki wouldn't need him to stick around. Pein had his plans of controlling the nations with the tailed beasts, forcing them all into submission. He didn't need an explosives expert. Beast bombs were far more effective.
Maybe his spontaneity was paying off for once?
She was still bathing when he returned and honestly, Deidara didn't blame her for the extended use of the bathroom. It'd been weeks since she last properly bathed or had unsupervised bathroom privileges.
It was silently that he hooked the bag of new clothing onto the doorknob and just as quietly that he left, assuring himself from the sloshing of water that she was still there. Only then did he release his clone and busied himself with clearing enough of the cabin for his usage, grimacing at the thick layers of dust that clung to everything. More than anything, he hated filth – actually, no. That was a lie. He hated Uchiha Itachi more than anything.
A fire was lit between his cleaning tasks and filled the cabin with a warmth that reminded him of thunderstorms and his parents before Deidara shut the sentimental thoughts down. There was no point in thinking about the past when it wouldn't change his future, although he supposed that was contradictory to his most recent reckless actions.
The thoughts of now finding a suitable use for the kunoichi brightened Deidara's mood considerably and he wondered what he would do now that the end of his time in the Akatsuki was near.
Definitely improve his cooking skills, he thought with an aggravated sigh, barely saving the fish in time before it burned horrifically. It was edible of course, but Deidara found himself craving the day where he would eat a decent meal once more – and not one from a shop while he was on the road either. He wanted to sit down at his own table after doing his own goddamn thing all damn day, and… Damn it, Deidara thought with a smirk, he even wanted to wash the dishes. Him.
He paused upon hearing the creaking of a door from down the hall, but didn't focus on Sakura for long as he uncharacteristically allowed the kunoichi to wander throughout the cabin. It was evident from the sudden halts at every creak of the floorboards and hinges of doors that she was trying to be silent, and he snickered to himself at the thought of her actually thinking she was doing a good job of sneaking around.
She was such a pain in the ass.
Enough food was made for her to help herself to, but Deidara didn't waste his time or energy calling Sakura to the meal. Rather, he seated himself before the fire and relished the short time he had to himself for the first time in weeks.
It was by his own doing and he had no one to blame but himself, but just as Sakura had zero privacy, he didn't either. When Deidara said he kept his eye on her every second of every day, he meant it. Like hell he was opening himself up to another of her escape attempts.
Only half an hour passed before quietly, almost awkwardly, Sakura came to join him by the fireplace in a set of the clothes he'd acquired for her. She sat a minimum of six feet away like she was wary of getting too close, eyes drawn to the meal he'd made before staring ahead of herself. Deidara wondered if it was due to the reaction she'd given when he held her. Did it play on her mind at all?
"Regardless of what side we're on," she began randomly, then sighed and met his eye with a shockingly apologetic expression. "I'm sorry for your loss. I can tell that Sasori meant a lot to you."
That…
He grunted his acceptance, though was ridiculously unable to maintain eye contact. Instead, he focused on the flickering flames before them until he reached out with the steel poker, adjusting one of the logs unnecessarily.
"I…" Words failed her for a moment, but while he was tempted to see what expression she was wearing, he couldn't bring himself to. "Sasori was insanely talented and intelligent."
Ah. It was obvious she was just as uncomfortable to talk about him as he was, and it had him pondering whether it was the first time she'd ever killed someone. Now curious, Deidara fought through the discomfort to look her way and knew in that split second of registering the burdened look in her distant eyes, that it was. Sasori was her first kill.
Quite the achievement.
"You're not too bad yourself, seeing as you're the one to defeat him."
"I was just the muscle," she admitted to him, gaze saddening at her next words of, "Chiyo-baa-sama was the one who thought of the plans."
He doubted that considering just how sneaky Sakura had been up until that point. She flitted from one plan to another in her attempts to escape, managing to leave trails without him even realising. If it hadn't annoyed him as badly as it had, Deidara would have told her that he was amazed. Alas, she was his enemy and he owed her nothing.
"There's food by the stove," he informed her blandly.
Nodding meekly and quietly uttering her thanks, Sakura helped herself to a small portion of the meal he'd made, but rather than joining him once more at the fire, ate at the round table in the kitchen area.
She was such a weird character, Deidara thought to himself but didn't look in her direction again. What part of her personality was the lie, seeing as she seemed to so effortlessly flip between moods? Was she really feisty, or was it for show? Was she really just that meek creature silently eating? Was the vulnerability all for show?
Rather than feeling frustrated by her unpredictability, Deidara once more found himself fascinated by her, wondering what buttons could be pushed to reveal the true personality.
He wasn't necessarily alarmed by the companionable silence that fell over them as the pair sat in front of the fire that evening, although Deidara was wary of it being another ploy to escape.
Still, despite that suspicion clinging to the back of his mind, now that Sakura was cleaned up and not reeking of weeks' worth of sweat, he couldn't help but discreetly glance her way every so often. More out of curiosity than anything, but he wouldn't deny that yes, he found her oddly attractive. The daintiness of her appearance certainly added a certain kick and he couldn't quite understand why he liked it.
He didn't believe himself to really have much of a type, but if he did, Sakura wasn't it and it left him growing more curious.
She was so dainty and feminine, whereas he preferred women with a rougher edge to them (that, he relented, explained why he enjoyed that fiery temper of hers). Usually, he despised the vulnerable pitifulness with a burning passion, but admittedly, hers didn't shine through until a few days ago, leading Deidara to believe that was why it didn't disgust him as greatly as it previously would have.
Having shown him such an impactful personality prior to being so vulnerable… maybe that was why? Maybe what he was experiencing was more to do with breaking down that hard-headedness of hers?
"What is it?" she enquired quietly, only sparing him a concerned glance before averting her gaze once more. "Why do you keep looking at me?"
But the thought didn't please Deidara like he'd originally believed it would.
"I'm not," he shot back without meaning to, damning himself for the childish response.
Sakura snorted disbelievingly at that, but it was the only response he received before the silence resumed.
Ah, it'd been way too long since he last got laid, Deidara decided and huffed an almost inaudible sigh. That was the only explanation as to why he was suddenly appreciating someone who wasn't even his type.
He hoped.
"…Thank you, by the way." He looked back to her and raised a brow, prompting Sakura to say softly, "For the clothes."
He most definitely did not shift awkwardly and his lacking response wasn't lame in the slightest. "Aa."
While the distrust remained unmoving, Deidara allowed Sakura to sleep in one of the bedrooms without his lingering (that didn't mean he didn't station a clone outside the room so that he himself could sleep also).
Several chilly mornings passed in the cabin and the mundane routine they settled into had him feeling antsy, wondering just when the hell the Kyuubi's jinchūriki would show up already so that he could end things once and for all. Playing the role of an abductor quite blatantly wasn't for him and Deidara was startled to realise that morning that he didn't want to do it anymore.
Although Sakura was now getting proper amounts of sleep and nourishment, there was no mistaking the mental exhaustion that clung to her, sapping away pieces of the personality he'd come to appreciate each day she was held captive.
Of course, he understood why. For the first few months of working for the Akatsuki, Deidara had felt more like a captive due to his circumstances of joining them. He loathed each and every one of them – including Sasori, in the beginning. To that day Deidara despised the organisation and it continued to infuriate him that he couldn't cut his ties until they were done with him.
He wasn't totally unfeeling to her despondency. He understood it – empathised with it, in a sense.
But Haruno Sakura had a role in his finally freeing himself from the Akatsuki and he just… He wasn't about to pass that up for the sake of a kunoichi he barely even knew.
Although, he reluctantly admitted to himself that he wished her death was avoidable.
Even if he somehow managed to spare her life, the moment Uzumaki Naruto was captured and subsequently killed, she would swoop down on their organisation with the rest of her village. Either way she was going to die. He would merely be delaying the outcome by letting her go.
"Aren't they looking for you?" he demanded when the thoughts grew too much and pissed him off.
Sakura deflated at that, gaze drawn to the downpour outside of the cabin. "I hope not."
She… hoped not? After spending all that time leaving trails for them to pick up on? After remaining so hopeful up until their encounter with the hunter-nin?
Pulling a face, he questioned, "Why?"
It'd been raining throughout the night, causing a gross muddy sludge around the cabin that Deidara wasn't prepared to go out and face any time soon. They had enough firewood to last until tomorrow, and he predicted the rain wouldn't last too long considering this was Oto, not Ame.
"Because that's what you want, right?" she drawled in response. Sitting back in her seat comfortably, she brought her knees to her chest, muttering, "You know already that Naruto will be a part of the retrieval squad."
Yes, he did. If the information they had on him was correct, anyway.
"I'm not going to be the cause of his death," Sakura informed him resolutely and set her jaw, though he was completely unprepared for the momentary quivering of her chest and lower lip like she was fighting back tears. "I'll protect him until my dying breath."
The fierceness of her loyalty reminded Deidara of old times. Back when he was an Iwa-nin and surrounded by others he previously would have said the same thing about. He briefly remembered their expressions and the times they'd hung out, and allowed himself a brief moment to recall how much he'd enjoyed working alongside a few of them.
He shook the sentimental memories away, reminding himself why he left in the first place. Although it wasn't because of those people, he longed to live a life of freedom and they came hand in hand with being tied down. Thus, were no longer relevant to his life. Cutting them off stung but it was not impossible for him to do and he didn't agonise over it for a single second.
"And how do you plan to do that moping around like this?" he question sardonically. Taking the seat opposite her, Deidara blocked Sakura's view of the rain and raised a brow when her eyebrow ticked with annoyance. "With the way things are going, his being captured is looking more and more likely."
"Captured…" she muttered, upper lip curling. "You mean murdered."
He shrugged. "It is what it is."
"Why is it that way?" Sakura demanded with a tinge of the personality he found he enjoyed a little too much (that fact was proven when just the thought of it returning had him growing excited). "Why can't you just leave them all alone? Gaara-kun barely escaped with his life, Chiyo-baa-sama died saving him and you…! You kidnapped me. Now you want Naruto too?" Furious, teary eyes returned to his and stunned him with the ferocity of her emotions. "When will you bastards stop? When is it enough for you?"
Usually, Deidara had backup comebacks for his comebacks. He always had to have the last word. But in that moment, in the face of Sakura's anguish, he couldn't think of a single thing to say.
He loved breaking a person down. Loved revelling in their despair.
For some unsettling reason he refused to admit, Deidara couldn't enjoy the broken down woman he'd spent the better part of three weeks with.
"I miss my village," she snapped and stood abruptly from her seat, trembling hands gripping the table almost like she was tempted to throw it in his face and despite registering the genuine threat, Deidara remained unmoving. "I miss my friends. I miss Tsunade-shishou. I miss my parents!"
This was not the personality he enjoyed, he realised belatedly and even as the table was viciously ripped from its place and hurtled across the room, catching his arm in the process, Deidara held onto her gaze steadily, features smooth.
He couldn't let his captive know that her emotional breakdown affected him.
He couldn't let it affect him.
"And I can't do anything about it," she yelled furiously, finally allowing the tears to fall. "So to answer your question: nothing. I plan to do nothing because there's nothing that I can do to change the outcome of this!"
The centipedes tightened around her wrists and neck, but it was apparent from the lack of response that they didn't scare her like they had previously and to prove that point, her dangerous hands came down on the arms of his chair. Sakura lowered herself to meet his eye, and while there had never been a worse time to take note of such a pointless fact, Deidara couldn't keep himself from admiring the myriad shades of green that made up the colour of her eyes. They captivated him, stealing his breath away unforgivably at the sight of them up close.
"Kill me already," she venomously snarled.
Like hell he would be the one to end the life of such explosive beauty.
He'd finally found a permanent explosion.
His impulsive nature was a blessing and a curse, and Deidara once more fell victim to it by going through with the one thought that he knew he shouldn't.
He kissed her.
Yanking Sakura down towards him, he closed the rest of the distance, muffling her startled squeak with his lips sealing over hers demandingly. And much to his male ego's relief, she appeared to be equally as impulsive as himself.
Those monstrously powerful hands gripped a tight hold of him the moment Deidara stood up to make the kiss easier, deeper, refusing to give her even a second to reconsider their reckless actions by keeping the kiss uninterrupted. He pulled at her as she did him, stomach burning with the sudden need washing over him in response to the otherworldly passionate kiss.
But it was at her back hitting the nearest wall and her small sound of pleasure when his hand settled at the base of her neck that Sakura seemingly came back to herself, eyes flying open. That was all the warning Deidara got before her hands mercilessly shoved him away, not even needing to create any momentum to establish a distance between them, and he grunted at the sharp pains that shot up his spine when he crashed into the previously thrown table across the room.
And then she fled to her bedroom, slamming the door behind herself.
All he could think about was the lingering taste of her on his lips.
"You had no right to kiss me."
Humming distractedly, Deidara never looked away from his ring as it spun on the table.
She slinked into the room like a lioness stalking her prey, all tightly coiled muscles and livid features. "Why did you kiss me? You're my enemy."
Yes, he was.
"Answer me, you goddamn–"
A subtle creak from the veranda out front had his hand falling to the ring, halting its aimless spinning and fortunately for her sake, Sakura heard it too and fell silent, eyes going to the front door with a notable pang of discomfort and concern.
It was undoubtedly a member of Akatsuki – the cabin was hidden to outsiders of the organisation and the only outsider who could realistically find it, was Orochimaru. But the chances of him approaching were slim to none, for he was wary of encountering them after his defection.
Still, knowing that it was technically a comrade, the opening of the door didn't stop him from standing from his place and clenching his jaw tightly at the ridiculous subconscious move of shifting in his stance, keeping Sakura's mostly unguarded form covered.
"You have grown sloppy, Deidara-san," came a cold murmur from the man he despised most while entering without permission – not that he needed it. It was a hideout for all members of Akatsuki. His dry appearance informed him that the rain had finally stopped, and it was obvious from the slight twitching of his eyes that he'd possibly intended to use the hideout to rest. "You were remarkably easy to track."
"You…" He barely heard Sakura whisper under her breath.
Damn it.
"That so?" he drawled in response, upper lip threatening to curl but stopped from doing so at the last moment. Getting riled up was a mistake in the presence of Uchiha Itachi – it always gave him an edge. "Why were you tracking me in the first place?"
The sight of the Uchiha never failed to turn his stomach, but it twisted it sharply, more persistently than ever, in that moment knowing that he'd stumbled upon something that…
That what, exactly?
"Nobody has heard from you in a few weeks," he responded simply, choosing to stand in the doorway and blocking out the natural daylight, effectively casting shadows across an already intimidating face.
But like that would stop a woman like Haruno Sakura, he realised much too late.
"You!" Sakura snarled suddenly and goddamn it, Deidara ridiculously felt his stomach drop when she fell into a defensive stance because as much as he was growing to appreciate that fierce temper of hers, she was absolutely no match for Itachi. "You…!"
Tipping his head back, the Uchiha merely raised an eyebrow though he did notice the brief flash of recognition that undoubtedly damned Sakura. If he knew who she was, then he would have no qualms in using her for his own agenda, such as sending that brother of his further into grief and madness or having her draw the Kyuubi out of hiding. Unlike himself, Itachi had the means to infiltrate Konoha and his past proved that he wasn't against torturing people. Just one look at Uchiha Sasuke told a person that.
"What is my brother's teammate doing out here?" he questioned blandly, almost like he was talking to himself.
"Don't…"
Deidara was surprised to see such potent hatred leaking into her expression, twisting it into something considerably darker than anything he'd seen from her so far. Even when she was trying to kill him, even while seething about their kiss, Sakura hadn't looked to him so hatefully.
And then she lunged without any warning, reminding him sharply of her newfound, completely real death wish.
Her fists were glowing a remarkable shade of blue that lit up the room, and he admired the way she forced Itachi back, leaving streaks of chakra lingering for several moments with each powerful swing of her arms. The power was enough to distort the air around her, destroying the cabin without a shred of remorse or concern of bringing it down on them all.
"Keep his name out of your damned mouth!" she raged and lunged towards him, causing Deidara's breath to catch with anticipation when Itachi grunted as a shockwave of chakra clipped his shoulder. "You…!"
Holy shit.
Holy shit!
The display of passion and wrath was spectacular and left him in a state of awe, following numbly when she managed to force Itachi back through the door of the cabin so that he could create more distance between them. Any idiot could see that fighting in close quarters was deadly – she'd land several fatal blows within moments when there was nowhere to go.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sakura demanded furiously and leapt into the air, leg raising.
The way Itachi's eyes squinted due to the sun that stubbornly shone through the rain clouds told him it was intentional on her part and Deidara leaned against the doorway, arms folding over his chest. For the first time since meeting her, he could now solidly see how she managed to have a part in taking down someone like Sasori. There was no mistaking the calculating narrowed gaze, telling him that even though she was so full of rage that was potent enough to heat his belly, she wasn't lost to the emotion.
If there was ever a moment where he questioned his views on art as a whole, it was then. It was her.
Her passion created the most intensely fiery art.
Deidara had no choice but to steady himself when her foot collided with the ground, the responding crater and jutting earth that tried to take Itachi out when he managed to evade the kick itself, making him smirk with a rare burst of pride.
"Stay still," she growled hatefully and like it was no effort on her part, spun on a heel to dart after him, voice shaking with the intensity of her emotions. "Traitor!"
But it was during that next lunge that Itachi seemingly had enough of humouring her. He came to an abrupt halt and before Sakura had the chance to change course, he met her halfway with a grunt of exertion. Hands catching the crook of her elbow, he had her pinned to the ground in a mere second and Deidara cringed at the sound of the air being ripped from her lungs, her now muddy expression one of pain and fear when Itachi managed to flip her over, limbs effortlessly keeping hers still.
The sight of him on top of her had him subconsciously reaching for his pouch, but Deidara was snapped back to reality when those blood red eyes snapped to his, narrowing dangerously.
"Enough," he muttered coldly.
What the hell was he thinking? To attack Itachi…
Itachi was forced to look back to Sakura when she furiously fought against his hold even as her bones creaked and cracked horrendously, snarling and spitting and features flushing the most marvellous shade of red due to the strain and pain she was putting herself through.
"Stay down," Itachi warned.
But she didn't. She pushed and she pushed until he was forced to shift his positioning, the sight of her bringing herself off the ground leaving Deidara stunned.
How monstrous was that strength?
"You're not taking anyone else from him," she spat through clenched teeth and he blanched at the sight of her shoulder visibly dislocating. Even Itachi was vaguely stunned, eyes widening for the briefest of moments.
To hell with it all, Deidara decided and allowed his impulsiveness to take over.
There was something about the way she so desperately fought not for herself, but another, that had him finally feeding the mouths on his hands and he relished in the rush of adrenaline when Itachi looked to him disbelievingly.
"You don't want to do this," came his final warning.
"But I do," Deidara replied, smirking at the intense chewing of his palms. "Have for a long time now."
Unable to go against her enhanced strength any longer, Itachi landed a swift knee to Sakura's stomach that left her winded before creating more distance, ensuring to keep them both in his line of vision at all times.
He'd created several new techniques with the sole intention of using them on him, and while Deidara knew that they were far from perfected, he believed them powerful enough to at least back Itachi into a corner.
But much to his disbelief, the Uchiha shot forward without a word of warning, stunning the pair of them with the new burst of speed that aided him in effortlessly dodging Sakura's fists. He yanked her head back before she even had the chance to blink and Deidara's shoulders dropped at the immediate slumping of her body that told him Itachi had managed to capture her in a genjutsu.
What stunned him, however, was that the genjutsu had to be cast with his mangekyō.
He sincerely hoped for her sake that it wasn't Tsukuyomi.
White hot rage had him momentarily freezing in his spot, unable to do anything more than glare murderously at the Uchiha. He longed to move forward, to snatch Sakura's limp form away from him, but a disgusting mixture of pride and disbelief refused to allow him to.
"You are not a fool, Deidara-san," Itachi stated simply and leaned down, smoothly setting Sakura over his shoulder before standing to his full height once more. "What are you hoping will happen by kidnapping this girl?"
"I should be asking you the same question–"
"I am taking her back to Konoha before you singlehandedly destroy the plans that Leader-sama has spent the better part of a decade bringing to fruition." Eerie red eyes glowed across the gloomy field as a large grey cloud shielded the sun from view and it was obvious that he was daring Deidara to try and stop him. The intensity of the moment had the tongues of his hands sweeping across his palms, hungry to deliver pain and salivating from their taste of clay. "If you know what is good for you, you will not stop me."
"I have a plan," he snarled in response. "Stop interfering for once, yeah!"
"A plan?" Itachi hummed. It infuriated him watching the older man wrapping an arm around Sakura's thighs to hold her in place, and he longed for the feisty kunoichi to wake up and land one of those deliciously powerful punches to the back of his head. "It can't be anything that will benefit Akatsuki's end goal, considering you have brought her to this secluded hideout, of all places. Nor have you contacted Leader-sama to alert him of your intentions."
That…
"This is not the time to be focusing on romantic relationships, particularly not with the Hokage's apprentice. We are in a precarious stage of our plans."
That was definitely how it appeared, Deidara realised thickly and dropped his arms to hang limp at his sides to show he would not attack.
"More importantly, you need to be realistic. She will never love you," taunted Itachi blandly, rubbing salt into the already gaping wound. "How can she when her heart so blatantly belongs to none other than my foolish brother?"
He fucking hated him with a burning passion.
But there was no denying the truth in his statement, was there?
It wasn't like Deidara envisioned them running off into the sunset together. He didn't picture romance and growing old or having kids or whatever the norm was. At most, he imagined himself to be free from Akatsuki and any other type of ruler and living solely for himself. Yesterday was a shock to the system and while he longed to explore that nature of hers and have the true definition of art remain by his side, Deidara…
Infuriatingly, he had to admit that Itachi was right.
Like hell he would tell him that, though. Instead, Deidara spun on his heel and returned to the cabin, making it known he was done with the conversation by slamming the door shut behind himself.
He should have known better than to get his hopes up at the thought of freeing himself.
In the following weeks of Sakura's return to Konoha, Deidara reluctantly accepted that moron Tobi as his partner, despite the fact his mere existence pissed him off. There was no use in moping around when he should have known all along that leaving Akatsuki was a pipedream, so it was business as usual. Going after the tailed beasts, extracting them, blowing shit up. Repeat.
He didn't see Itachi again after their run in, but he presumed he'd returned Sakura to Konoha.
He definitely didn't scope out other hideouts to ensure that was the case, lying through his teeth to Tobi about their simply passing through. The idiot didn't question him and Deidara hoped that was a sign of him realising who was in charge.
Not that it mattered anymore.
Damn it…
This was it for him, huh?
He'd always known that the only way to leave Akatsuki was by dying.
What made his fast approaching death all the crueller was that it would be at the hands of Uchiha Sasuke – his brother being the very reason why he became trapped in Akatsuki in the first place.
He was the one who had Sakura's heart.
Stubbornly shaking the thoughts from his head, Deidara willed himself to stand one last time. He demanded his hands to stop shaking at the realisation he was about to die by a goddamn Uchiha's hands.
He would not beg or plead for mercy. He would not fear death.
But he certainly wasn't going to go out without one final bang. Not even Uchiha Sasuke's lightning style would stop him–
"Stop!"
Horrified at the intrusion just as he was about to start his ultimate jutsu that would have wiped her out also, Deidara almost gave himself a crick in his neck with how fast he twisted his head to follow her voice, the fury of seeing her darting from the line of trees and panting harshly enough to force him to his feet once more.
"…Sakura."
Was she about to drive the knife deeper by siding with the Uchiha? Was he about to witness the truth that would back up Itachi's words? Upper lip curling, Deidara hobbled backwards, favouring his left leg, but despite instincts warning him to reach for his clay and put the pair of them down before they could take him out, he just… couldn't. Deidara frustratingly couldn't harm her.
He hated himself for it.
He hated that he liked seeing her face in his final moments.
"Stop," she repeated, daring to come between them.
"Get out of the way," warned Sasuke tonelessly, but he wasn't the only one to notice how he didn't make a move towards her.
Dark eyes continuously risked glances towards Deidara's hands and he realised after the fourth time that the Uchiha was expecting him to attack with Sakura between them – usually, he would have. He wouldn't have thought twice about collateral damage. To test his theory of the hidden concern for her well-being, Deidara forced his hand to twitch like he was making a move to his clay and was infuriated when Sasuke's hand shifted just ever so slightly, the absolute bare minimum, towards his katana.
"No," she argued.
Her return to Konoha was clearly a much needed one, for Sakura appeared livelier than she had during their weeks together. It was considerably different from the bursts of anger that forced her through the day, and Deidara refused to acknowledge the swell of guilt that accompanied the revelation.
"You're protecting the person who abducted you?" Sasuke questioned disbelievingly.
But that was obviously the wrong thing to ask because she took a mile out of the inch and shot back, "How did you know about that? Tsunade-shishou kept it quiet to keep Naruto safe. Only ANBU knew."
Like hell he was about to stand around and listen in on their reunion. He'd rather blow himself up in a final suicide attack.
Clearly refusing to answer, Sasuke's jaw clenched and he returned to glaring at Deidara, waiting for their battle to resume.
Would it?
Apparently not. Not if his little kunoichi had anything to say about it.
"Leave, Deidara," Sakura pleaded while glancing over her shoulder at him to ignore the indignant stare from her former teammate, features puckering. Numbly, he realised it was the first and likely only time she'd ever used his name directly. Every other time, it'd been some kind of insult. "Think of this as me repaying you for letting me go."
Letting her go…
What the hell had Uchiha Itachi done to her head?
"He'll–"
"Sasuke-kun won't hurt me," she assured him and doubled the list of firsts by giving him a real smile, leaving him stunned. She looked back to him then and Deidara wondered what expression was on her features for Sasuke to frown deeply, red eyes darting across her features like he couldn't understand her in the slightest. "I have information he needs."
What had Itachi done during his genjutsu?
"About?" Sasuke drawled.
She strengthened her stance, chin tipping upwards. "About Uchiha Itachi." He took a step towards her at the news, but just as Deidara did the same, she held up a hand and warned Sasuke, "I'm not sharing anything unless you let Deidara go."
She…
Green eyes met his once more and Deidara felt his heart give an uncomfortable squeeze, because surely, she should have hated him? He abducted her. Planned to use her to capture and kill her friend and teammate. He'd put her through three weeks' worth of humiliation and stress simply because he was impulsive.
Why was she sparing him, that stupidly naïve kunoichi?
"Go."
He didn't argue. Didn't try and linger to ensure her safety. It was obvious from the brief flash of pride and appreciation in Sasuke's eyes that he wouldn't cause her any harm, especially not when she was the holder of information he so desperately needed.
Smirking proudly at the firecracker who'd singlehandedly burst into his life more powerfully than his ultimate jutsu, Deidara retreated on the back of his clay bird, hoping more than anything that they would cross paths once more – preferably in the not too distant future.
Until then, you major pain in the ass.