Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 6: Catalyst

Sakura closed her eyes and tilted her head up, letting the warm water from the shower fall freely on her face to perhaps relieve the faint headache she was feeling since waking up. She hadn't slept well again, her mind too caught up in what could have happened in the last three days she spent locked inside. Konan wouldn't tell her; she wondered if Pein would, if they ever met again. After last night, probably not.

The only thing she was almost sure of was that there was someone other than Akatsuki members in the building, or at least that frequented the place. Konan wouldn't have that same answer for her if it was Tobi, for instance, who was leaving food inside her room. There would be no apparent reason for this; she already knew them anyway. This was someone different, someone that perhaps had access to the city outside, someone they couldn't let her know of.

Thinking of this possibility, with Tobi's situation still freshly on her mind, made her feel more foolish than she honestly cared to admit.

She forced herself to forget about him for now to go back to the previous issue. Then wondered if these people who handed her food were the same people she heard that first day she was allowed to go outside alone. A feeling of regret for not having approached them that time tightened in her chest.

Now she would have to figure this out. This could be her chance of leaving. This was perhaps the best chance she had.

Sakura turned off the shower and stepped outside to dry and dress herself. Konan would soon be at the door to take her out. It was necessary to start paying more attention to the things around her, to the place especially, and to any whisper or shadow that might be lurking from now on. She couldn't let herself get distracted with other things and end up forgetting her initial plan.

Sakura was leaving the bathroom lost in her thoughts, with a towel in hand, drying her hair. The door to the bathroom faced the small dresser with the little tanuki on top, where she had left some days ago, and the door beyond. That was what her eyes saw first. When she looked towards the bed, though, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her heartbeat was already faster than before and it was a wonder she stayed rooted in place.

Pein was sitting there, leaning against the headboard, his legs crossed at the ankles. He was watching her with his head slightly tilted, as if he was curiously considering something he hadn't before. His cold eyes were in their "normal" state, without any weird light like the day before in his office. Sakura looked from his face to his fingers, drumming calmly against his stomach where his hands were resting. Despite his casual posture, he still seemed tired in her eyes.

This was such an intimate situation that her mind went blank for a moment–not knowing how to react. Then, she wanted to ask what he was doing here, letting himself in without her notice and sitting on the bed she passed most of her time on. It didn't seem like her place to ask, though; nothing here was hers, despite getting used to it anyway. She blamed Konan and her common sense for this, because Pein, in all his deity complex, never even considered knocking, it seems.

"I will escort you today," Pein said as a form of explanation when her gaze lasted longer than necessary. His expression didn't change, but there was a strange glint in his eyes now. It almost dared her to say something in the matter; to rebel against him.

Instead of doing something rash she might regret, Sakura folded the humid towel to have something to do with her hands. Because of the last time they spoke, things were more heavy and uncomfortable. He always knew what she was doing; where she was, with whom she was interacting the most. The first because of some abilities he had; the second, probably because Konan was spying on her for him. Those facts were hard to swallow, but honestly, what did she expect anyway? This wasn't vacation for her; this was captivity. Of course she would be heavily monitored. Everyone who came in contact with her had hidden motives for doing so. The sooner she accepted it, the better.

Sakura frowned. "What about Konan-san?"

His gaze upon her was unwavering in the several seconds he stayed in silence, perhaps considering if he should answer. He blinked slowly, dissipating the stillness, then, "Konan is away on a mission."

"Oh."

They looked at each other for a long time. Despite holding his eyes, Sakura was feeling very awkward; a lot of it still because of their encounter the day before. His lasting gaze felt as if he was sizing her up; for what, she didn't know. She didn't think they would see one another so soon after that. Still, here he was.

"Go. Finish getting ready." Pein sat up, ignoring her momentarily in favor of fastening his open cloak. "I will wait for you outside."

Sakura nodded uselessly and went back to the bathroom without waiting for him to leave. The orders he bestowed upon her must be the worst aspect of dealing with him and she hated herself for complying, rather it would be out of fear or automatically. But then again, would it be worthy to antagonize him on this? She had a feeling it would only make her life more difficult than it already was and maybe even bring more of his attention upon her, something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

Then she remembered the way his eyes stared at her just earlier and decided that maybe it was already too late to hope for that.

The kitchen was completely empty at that time, making Sakura wonder if that had anything to do with what happened in the last three days. Like in one of the first times she went to that kitchen, there was food prepared already; unlike these times, though, Pein sat down at the head of the table and served food for himself.

She had to force herself not to stare.

Pein looked exactly like he belonged at that seat, regal and proud and elegant, unlike Tobi who always made himself look very silly every time he was sitting there.

Tobi…

Don't think about him, she admonished herself as soon as the thought made an appearance. It was for the better.

Minutes later, they were walking the hallways to meet Itachi. Pein didn't say anything anymore, so she kept quiet. The conversation they had the day before was still weighing down on her, and she wasn't crazy to think there was still some tension between them. She wondered if he was in the same state. Perhaps not. He just completely ignored her after their initial encounter.

When they reached the infirmary's level, Itachi wasn't alone outside the door; Kisame was with him this time. Seeing the both of them was a little bit of a relief from that heavy atmosphere, as weird as it may have seemed some other time.

The two looked up when they approached. Itachi greeted them with a small nod and Kisame eyed them with a strange glint in his weirdly shaped eyes. Sakura wondered what passed in that head of his.

"Leader," Kisame said, nodding. Then he tilted his head and looked down at her curiously, his voice sounding more easygoing. "Little leaf."

"Sakura," she corrected without thinking.

Pein and Itachi were observing the two of them with barely concealed interest in their eyes that didn't show on their faces.

Kisame, on the other hand, gave her a small smirk, barely showing pointy teeths, as it seemed he liked to do. He turned from them to go back the way he came. "Little flower, then."

Sakura watched him go, wondering if her face was as red as it felt.

The movement of Itachi getting inside the room took her out of it and she quickly followed, with Pein right behind her.

Itachi sat down on the cot and turned his dark eyes upon them; Sakura wasn't sure if it was for her or for Pein, didn't know what it even meant. Sakura frowned, suddenly thinking of something. What if he used his eyes in these past three days he stayed without treatment? She looked him over critically. Physically there was nothing to see; he was his usual collected and reserved self. He was staring at them more than normally, though. Maybe he used his sharingan and found something out…?

No. If that was the case, he would have already said something. There was no reason for him to keep the knowledge concealed.

Upon close inspection, Sakura discovered his eyes the exact same way she had left them; part of the front section completely free from inflammation and burnt capillaries while all the rest, which was composed of about eighth, eighth five percent, still the mess she had found.

Sakura mentally drew in a relieved breath, her muscles easing from their tense state, and moved on with her work.

All in all, this time their routine wasn't as smooth as it was when Konan was in his place. After Pein approached her to unseal a bit of her chakra, he stood by a wall, watching them the entire time. The fine hairs in her arms were raised during almost the entire procedure and, because of that and the knowledge it gave her, there was a heavy, uncomfortable feeling in her stomach.

After everything was done, differently from before, Itachi left the room first. Sakura stood by the desk, leaning more into it than it was really necessary, watching Pein expectantly. He hadn't made any move to leave yet. She knew there was something he might want with her still.

Pein met her eyes impassively. Sakura felt her back straightening. He didn't say anything immediately; instead, he watched her through calculated, slightly cold eyes. She wondered, not for the first time that day, what he could be thinking, looking at her like that.

"I will be leaving you for now, Haruno-san," he finally said. "But be aware that you are never completely alone around here."

He didn't trust her, then. Well, Sakura thought, he never did in the first place and that makes two of us. But still, he trusted her enough to tell about Tobi, whatever that may be.

He was warning her.

That conclusion was a little scary, if she was honest. It could be about her breaking his orders or even beyond, of someone who could be lurking even without his wishes.

She clenched her teeth to avoid a shiver from racking her body and tried to look at him as steady as she could.

Whatever he saw on her face seemed to be compliance enough for him as his eyes lost a little of that hard edge. His head tilted to one side in a form of confirmation. "I expect you to watch your step this time."

Sakura nodded once, controlling her face so the conclusions she drawed wouldn't be too obvious. She knew she was easy to read, but something told her he was very good at it even if she wasn't.

After a beat or two, Pein turned his back on her and walked out of the infirmary, his cloak billowing behind him. This time, differently from others, he didn't find the need to escort her to her room, just left her completely on her own.

Sakura was without her cloak, but she would have to go get it since she didn't intend to stay in her room today. Taking in quick strides, she went out to really start her day.

A sleepy yamn broke through Sakura's lips the moment she reached the final page of the current book she started reading earlier in the afternoon, but again, it was another small one. She was a very quick reader, but that trait didn't help at all when there was nothing about what she was looking for anyway.

It shouldn't be surprising there were no books about the particular sealing technique Pein performed on her, as far as she could tell. There were things about sealing a person's chakra, and sealing bijūs and other beings inside another body, and something very vague about a consuming seal; aside from the last one, which didn't have enough information, all of them were quite dark jutsus–and all three forbidden. Sealing another person's chakra was described to be so painful it had a great chance of the receiver dying before the technique could be completed. And sealing a bijū inside another living body… was very self explanatory, really.

Sakura sighed. All of this, but until now nothing about a seal that enabled one to control another person's chakra. Things like that were probably in Pein's possession; if it even was recorded in a book or scroll.

She let her head lull back over the top of the armchair, closed the book in her hands with a snap as an indication of giving up for now, then wondered what time it was. Probably not too late to be dinner time just yet.

Despite this room being more comfortable and much more appealing than the others, just her favorite, she needed to get something to drink. Her mouth felt parched. Perhaps there was something she could bring to drink here, or in her room, when she would be spending long periods of time? Her mind remembered the first of the three days locked inside her room, the water bottle on top of the tray. That water bottle was hers; she didn't expect them to have it, but they did get ahold of her pouch. It made sense.

With her mind busy with thoughts of trivial things, Sakura busied herself with getting up and going to the shelf where she had retrieved the book, storing it perfectly so no one could say anything about it. At the door, she looked around to make sure everything was okay one more time. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she stepped out, facing one side of the empty hallway. Before she could take a step, though, an ominous but familiar voice stopped her, making her stiffen in place.

"Are you lost, leaf kunoichi?" Deidara asked softly, though there was nothing soft about it. "I don't think I ever saw you around here before." His words gave her a feeling of danger, as if his appearance in this hallway, right at the time she was leaving, wasn't at all a coincidence.

Her hand slowly left the doorknob and she promptly turned to face him.

"No. I am allowed to be here. I was just going back to my room," she explained even though something inside her knew he wasn't really interested in receiving an answer.

She completely ignored the way her voice wavered at the end.

"Huh," Deidara said, taking one step in her direction. Sakura felt her back stiffening, but kept her stance. Stay calm, her mind supplied. Deidara was much like his explosives: unpredictable and dangerous, ready to explode in your face at any brusque move. But he wouldn't do anything against her, he couldn't; Pein would have his head if something happened. She just needed to keep calm and leave as soon as there was an opening. "Leader's little pet, then. Doing exactly as he says."

"As do you."

The words surprised her and left her mouth unwillingly, before she could even stop herself. It was clearly nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction, but this knowledge didn't seem to help the situation as Deidara cast a dark look upon her face for a moment, then took in the rest of her, in her tense stance, under his nose.

"You know, it still baffles me that a Konoha weakling like you was able to defeat someone like Sasori no danna, yeah." He looked at her up and down again, sneering, a disgusted gleam in his lone blue eye. Sakura clenched her jaw and tightened a fist under the cloak's long sleeve.

I wasn't, Sakura wanted to say. I wouldn't have if it wasn't for Chiyo.

"Sasori, who was even more dangerous than I am," Deidara continued, punctuating this statement by giving another step closer. Sakura held her ground nervously, not sure if it would be all best if she just ran away right now. Deidara was too much of a wild card for her to be able to presume his moves.

"And here you are now, playing doctor with dear Itachi. You know, I'm not much of a fan of his."

Sakura didn't like the way his eyes sparkled suddenly, didn't like the way he was getting closer and closer and she was letting him…

Her eyes discreetly glanced beyond his head, to the rest of the hallway behind him. It was still empty. Her stomach sank.

He smiled mockingly. "I wouldn't be worried if you were suddenly gone and left him to fend for himself with those damn eyes of his. In fact, I wouldn't mind at all, yeah."

Hope filled her chest, but it felt misplaced. "I am not here because I wanted to," Sakura tried, hoping he would understand where she was trying to go.

But Deidara only sneered maliciously again. "It's funny you think I care; I don't. I'd rather blow you off than letting you escape, yeah."

A terrified shiver ran down her spine at the frantic look in his visible eye, combined with what he just said.

Run.

Before she could finally step back, one of his hands caught her right arm in a tight grip. Sakura hissed when his short nails started digging into her skin. She watched helplessly as his other hand went inside his cloak, to a pouch attached to his hip.

Her eyes widened at the soft but unmistakable sound of clay being molded.

"You cannot do this," Sakura told him anxiously, her voice wavering. She tried to free her arm, but he only held tighter. As she didn't have her chakra to count on, he easily overpowered her strength. "You know Pein won't like this."

"He's not here now, yeah."

Sakura looked at her right wrist where the sleeves were hiking up, exposing the kanjis there. Deidara followed her eyes, a slow smirk appearing on his lips with the realisation she couldn't use her chakra to fight back.

"He did make this too easy."

Sakura was about to scream for help when her terrified eyes saw a great shadow emerging from behind Deidara all of a sudden, engulfing them completely.

"What do you think you're doing, boy?"

Deidara stiffened. Kisame was standing there seemingly casually, his sword still strapped to his back, but his hand was holding the hilt in a warning, his shoulders tense. His other hand appeared in a flash to grip Deidara's wrist that was almost inside the pouch. By the tone of his voice, Kisame wasn't playing this time and he was far from being amused.

Deidara quickly looked behind and, in his distraction, ended up easing the hold he had on her arm. Sakura jerked free and stumbled back until she felt her back collide with another body.

Before she could think of what to do, a hand on her forearm stilled her against it, preventing her from trying to escape. This one was way more gentle, though.

She peaked behind her and met assessing, purplish grey eyes looking back. The scent of rain invaded her senses and, against her better judgement, she leaned more against him, accepting his comforting warmth and steady presence. For the first time that day, she felt safe.

The corridor was silent all of a sudden.

Then he raised his head to look in front of them, to Deidara and Kisame–both of them standing rigidly in place, as if only now feeling the sudden, heavy aura. The expressions on their faces showed that, just like her, none of them knew he was there until he revealed himself.

Pein looked furious.

Sakura didn't know how she knew this; except for his clenched jaw, his impassive face didn't change at all. That heavy aura seemed to intensify tenfold. Kisame released Deidara abruptly and gave a rigid nod in Pein's direction before heading back the way he came. This situation had nothing to do with him, after all.

The subsequent silence that followed Kisame's departure was worse than before, filled with the tension in the air around them. Deidara's eye was still wide, his long lock of blond hair that usually hid the other eye was now to the side of his face, showing an eye contraption in his skin. His face morphed into hate while looking at her before he stared Pein down.

"Wha–"

"Enough," Pein said curtly. Deidara's jaw contracted and he curled a fist tightly. Pein's cold eyes observed him under his nose, as if dealing with an impertinent child. "I will deal with you later."

More silence fell between them in which the intense feeling grew, making the fine hairs on her arms stand on end. It was hard to breathe, but Deidara didn't seem to notice, too busy glaring at her and then at Pein. His jaw clenched once again, but this time he finally turned his back to leave–but not before the fleeting look he gave to the fingers still holding her arm.

She observed him leave the entire way to the end of the hallway, watching his hands attentively. They didn't move to the pouch on his hip once.

After he disappeared in the corner at the end, Sakura drew deep breaths to decrease the fast pace of her pulse. After a while in silence, Pein removed his fingers from her arm and took a step back. She looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"Come with me," he said and continued on walking. Sakura, not wanting to have another meeting with Deidara, didn't waste time following after him. She kept herself close, even closer than they were used to, and she had to curl her fingers into fists at her sides to fight the urge to just get a hold of his cloak and anchor herself to him. He might have appeared in the time she needed him the most, and now she was sure he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, at least for now, but he was still him.

She wouldn't be in this situation in the first place if it wasn't for him. He had become a safe bet in this place without a doubt, but what happened minutes ago was a moment of weakness. She was becoming complacent around them. It wouldn't happen again.

That thought managed to bring a form of control to her very confused and terrified mind. Sakura took several deep breaths and matched her steps to his, staying only inches behind him. He didn't seem too worried about what had just happened, but still she could feel the slight tension in the air, the heaviness of his aura and displeasure, how it took her breath away mere moments earlier. She only felt like that once, when Naruto had lost control of the Kyuubi in the Tenchi Bridge.

Pein led her up, and before she knew it, they were facing the door to his office. At this time, later in the day, and because outside was always gloomy, it was already partially in darkness. The weak light that managed to come through the window was only enough to barely illuminate his desk.

Sakura entered after him and closed the door behind her. Now, alone with him in his office once more, she felt even more confused.

Sakura frowned, watching the man partly bend over his desk, seemingly rearranging papers. She took a hesitantly step toward him.

"Am I not returning to my room?"

Her voice was so soft she wondered if he even was able to listen. But then, Pein turned his head to the side, then gestured to the armchair on the other side of the room, close to one of the bookshelves and a small desk, with a simple lamp on top.

Sakura complied with his silent request. After she was rigidly sitting down, her hands folded neatly over her lap, her back straight, the only thing she wanted to hear was an explanation–anything to take her mind of what almost happened.

"I would not have you there while Deidara is still around," Pein said quietly after another beat of silence, without looking at her. He flattened the palms of his hands on top of the desk and his head was slightly tilted down, but Sakura could see he was actually looking through the glass doors. "I trust you already saw how he can be vindictive."

He was right, of course. With how angry he seemed to be, Deidara could try to go after her. Her eyes looked at her hands, contemplating. "You could…" she hesitated and finally could feel Pein looking back at her. Her eyes raised towards his. "You could've sealed the door."

He stood in silence, looking at her flatly. Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly to try and see him better. The only thing that showed some sort of emotion on his face was one of his eyebrows slightly arched.

"Would you rather stay sealed inside your stifling room, doing nothing?"

Sakura couldn't help but frown at him; he was throwing her earlier words back at her. She had said she wanted to take some air. So he did have a sarcastic streak to him, then. It was interesting to know her words affected him somehow. To have him still remembering them meant he thought about it.

She wasn't sure if she liked that, though.

But there was something strange here. She could have sworn those words were said to Konan, not him.

"How do you know–"

"That is not important." He promptly cut her off.

Her lips thinned in annoyance she didn't want to show and didn't say anything to that. There was a better, more interesting question to ask. "So you suppose I stay here? With you?"

His long fingers brushed off some orange strands that had fallen on his hitai-ate, their ends reaching his eyebrows.

"I do not suppose, Haruno-san. You are under my care; It would not do to have you at risk." Under your care only because of my abilities, she thought bitterly. It was good to be reminded this was not out of concern for her. Pein stood completely, turning towards her. "You will stay here and will only leave with company. At least for now."

"And who will accompany me?" Sakura wanted to know, genuinely curious this time since the one who usually did was away. Now that she could deduce more or less Pein's thoughts on Tobi, he certainly wouldn't be an option for escort work. "Konan-san said you were too busy to escort me."

"I normally am. But like I said, for now it will have to be this way."

He walked around his desk, but before he could sit down, he hesitated, looking outside the doors again for a moment before gazing at her askance. "Are you hurt?"

He sounded more tired rather than angry this time. At this question, Sakura felt the sting in her arm. She raised her sleeve to the part Deidara had gripped her violently. There were red crescent marks of his nails embedded on her pale flesh, almost to the point of drawing blood, but not quite. There were also red imprints of his fingers. Sakura felt disgusted he was able to mark her, even if he didn't touch her directly.

Pein was looking at her arm, she knew. Before she could say anything, though, he quickly raised his hands and formed seals. Immediately after, Sakura felt a ridiculously small portion of chakra appearing from the seal on her wrist. She sighed as she just focused that chakra on the bruise. Moments later, it was like it had never happened. She was glad.

Her chakra faded after that, showing that Pein had already sealed it away. She looked up in time to see him turning away from her to sit down in his chair, his focus already shifting to the papers on the desk.

"You make healing seem so easy," he stated, but his eyes never left the papers on the desk. "Your chakra control is remarkable."

The leader of the Akatsuki was… acknowledging her abilities?

She observed him for a long time in silence, her face full of wonder. When she first figured out about this, no one in her team seemed to think much of it. Only now, years later, she came to understand just how important it was for every technique she could learn to use.

The fact that a man like Pein, a shinobi of his caliber, was complimenting her–her–when most people didn't think much of it, was overwhelming.

Embarrassed, Sakura ducked her head at the feeling of warmth on her cheeks, even though Pein couldn't see. "It's very handy for medical ninjutsu."

He didn't say anything anymore and that was that.

Now more or less on her own terms, Sakura's green eyes travelled around the room curiously, taking in the walls full of bookshelves. Even though she had just come out of the library, her fingers were twitching to reach one of those and dissect what kind of books and scrolls the leader of the Akatsuki keeped in his immediate presence. It would be a good exercise to her overwhelmed mind.

Her gaze turned to him again, pursing her lips when he just kept reading whatever there was in those papers and thus ignoring her completely. He didn't expect her to just stay sitting down, looking at a wall, did he?

"Can I borrow one of your books?"

Her voice came out even and very clear this time, but it was still a little meek. Pein raised his head in her direction calmly. In a proud moment, Sakura raised her chin slightly. His swirling grey eyes subtly observed around, to the very books and scrolls lining the walls.

"Aa," he said, nodding once. "None of the scrolls, however."

She nodded back earguely then stood to the aforementioned bookshelves.

Her trip didn't last long, though. Sakura quickly chose one that caught her attention the most: the one who seemed to be the oldest, about Fire Country's fuuinjutsus (which was pretty offensive they had this) and sat down again. The cover was a plain medium brown and the front had the title written in a spiky handwriting at the bottom right side; inside, the actual text was also written with the same handwriting, but it seemed smaller. The text was more like lists, with the names on top and characteristics of the jutsus organized on topics.

Sakura frowned, imagining who could have done this and how it ended up in Akatsuki's hands.

If Pein saw her choice of book he decided it wasn't worth arguing over it; she didn't question him on anything she did other than ask permission to borrow a book and he didn't say a word after their last conversation. Sakura lit the lamp beside her to help read the small words. Time just passed in a somewhat comfortable silence. Outside, the rain never stopped falling.

Sakura squinted at the tinted words embedded on the parchment, then she raised her eyes to look at Pein while keeping her face down. She still had her doubts. Since her first day here, Sakura rarely saw anyone in the halls at any time, least of all Pein. So how was he suddenly there, when she needed someone the most?

As she was watching, he grabbed a pen at a corner of the desk and started taking notes. All of this without looking up or in her direction at all. Sakura looked towards the book again, distractedly, thinking of going back to read. Her eyes caught a peek of the seals on her wrist where the sleeve of her Akatsuki cloak was rising slightly. She touched it lightly, then glanced at Pein again. He had one of his eyebrows very slightly raised, his eyes a little distant, as if contemplating something, but it seemed he wasn't aware of this.

There was something she was missing here.

What kind of technique enabled him to control her chakra at a distance? How was he even able to do something like that? How had he known she was examining it that day in the bathroom? She had never even heard of such a thing. Chakra suppressors, yes, but seals, never. She wasn't big on sealing techniques, but she had been trying to learn something about it before leaving Konoha. An idea just appeared in her mind then, but before she could dwell on it, Pein's writing hand stilled suddenly. Sakura, realizing she was still openly staring at him, hurriedly lowered her eyes to the book again.

Surely she felt his eyes on her right at the next second. Sakura tried not to react under his stare because then it would be a given.

When she couldn't feel that prickling sensation anymore was when she let herself sink into the chair. Only then she was able to think about it further. Now she had access to an entire room filled with books from floor to ceiling, books about all sorts of jutsus. If there was a place for her to find something like that, it would be the Akatsuki's library, as unlikely as it was to find something in there, and she had already looked at some. It would be even better where she was now, in Pein's private collection, but she had her doubts about it. Certainly Pein wasn't letting it free where she could find; he wouldn't even have her messing with his books if he kept it there.

Although… there were the scrolls he had just forbidden her access to. It must have something on one of them to help her understand the seal's workings and, consequently, break free of it.

But whatever it might be, she just had to find something about it and then work from there. The real possibility he might feel through the seal, or even use it as some form of tracking method, was very worrying and it could prove to be a problem.

But there was nothing she could do for now besides relaxing. She had been almost attacked, after all.

Moments later and Sakura was getting sleepy already, her mind barely registering what she was reading, when there were two knocks on the door. Her head snapped up in response, the book now laying forgotten in her lap. The sound seemed filled with tension, if such a thing was possible, as if the person on the other side was bracing itself for something bad.

Green eyes shifted to the form of the man behind the desk. He had barely raised his head, watching the door calmly, before focussing on the papers once again.

"Come." His deep voice echoed slightly around the room, full of authority, before the door opened a little–very slowly.

Sakura's eyebrows rose seeing who was behind it. His head of long blond hair was ducked, as if he was planning on playing meek to Pein. She clenched her jaw, feeling offended. As if Pein would fall for it after what he saw earlier in the library's hallway; as if that man was anything like meek.

"Pein-sama, I–" he started to say, but interrupted himself abruptly when he caught sight of her at the back of the room. If the small lamp was off, Sakura was sure he wouldn't have been able to see her there.

His eye narrowed as he stared at her for longer than she trusted or was comfortable with.

"Deidara," Pein said firmly and without room for arguments.

Deidara, still standing by the threshold, quickly turned his head to Pein before he remembered himself and walked in, closing the door. Without his attention, Sakura felt her shoulders suddenly relax. She hadn't even realised the state of tension her body was in. Not wanting to appear as if she was paying attention to their conversation, even though she was, Sakura looked down again, to the small writing she wasn't reading anymore.

"I expect you understand the inexcusable mistake you were about to make," Pein was saying without even looking at him. He was still writing something in one of those papers from earlier. Sakura saw a muscle contract against Deidara's smooth skin, in his jawline. He wasn't happy to be treated with so much disregard, even more so with her as a witness, she could guess.

Sakura smiled into her book, using it as a shield to hide half of her face. Well done. In her eyes, after what he attempted to do, disregard was the least he deserved.

"Because of that, and the complete disrespect of my orders, I will send you away for a time. There is a particular mission I need completed and I am assigning you to it."

Deidara's blue eye seemed to widen and briefly Sakura wondered what mission it might be to cause such a reaction. It seemed that he already knew what was being referred to.

She didn't have time to guess because Deidara's lips contorted into a snarl, something that made his youthful face contract in the most unpleasant way, the blue of his eye momentarily filling with rage. He looked at her askance.

"I will not warn you again, Deidara," Pein said again, more sharply this time. When she looked at him he was already sitting up completely, differently from before with his back straight, looking at Deidara with his strange eyes starting to glow in the almost completely darkened room. Pein didn't spare a glance in her direction, as if she wasn't a concern of his, and Sakura didn't know if she was relieved for that or not.

"Now, you will leave in the morning and send back frequent reports on your achievements. I will be sending the scroll with more information to your quarters," Pein explained after he received Deidara's attention again. "That is it for now. You can leave."

He complied immediately, but not after gazing at her with pure hatred and then marching with heavy steps towards the door. By the way he gripped the doorknob, Sakura had the impression he would slam the door closed, but she was taken aback when he did no such thing in the end. Then the office was dark and silent again.

Her heart was still racing. She didn't meet Pein's eyes when she asked about dinner sometime later and he rose graciously to meet her in the center of the room and then open the door to her cordially. Her mind was still on a loop, replaying all that had just happened and feeling more and more disheartened and strangely fearful for her life. Pein's form of punishment seemed to have made things worse.

At this point, she just hoped she would never meet Deidara again.

In one of the staircases, Sakura sighed tiredly while still making sure to walk close to Pein. What a man.