Temptation of the Heart

Chapter Four: In Company with Evil

Sakura, still bound and gagged tightly by Kisame's bindings, warily watched her new captors.

"She's now your responsibility," Sasori stated flatly. "Don't expect me to help take care of her."

"I don't. I'll manage this by myself just fine." And with that, Deidara approached Sakura and began to examine her bonds. "I'll need some clay. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Deidara bounded off outside of Sakura's field of view. Sakura looked over at Sasori, but he was pointedly ignoring her presence in the camp. The sun was getting lower in the sky, so Sakura could now tell night was falling.

About half-an-hour passed before Deidara returned to the camp carrying a dripping wet ball of clay. She sat down by the fire and began to knead the clay, shaping it into a spider form about the size of a hand.

Once Deidara completed the clay spider, Sakura noticed the familiar blue-glow of chakra flowing from Deidara's hands and into the spider. After a few seconds of chakra infusion, the spider "came alive" and began crawling towards Sakura.

Terrified, Sakura attempted to struggle against the bindings holding her. Deidara faced Sakura and said, "Don't worry dear one. My lovely creature won't hurt you, as long as you remain within my control."

As Sakura struggled even harder against her bonds in a panic, the spider slowly crawled up the front of her body, around to her back, and embedded itself along her spinal column. Sakura felt excruciating pain and screamed into her gag and flopped like a fish out of water as the spider dug its way into her back.

Rubbing her hands together in glee, Deidara stated, "Good. Now I can free you of those bonds. If you attempt to escape from me, my spider will crush your back-bones and paralyze or kill you. Do not tempt me. I have no mercy."

Deidara approached Sakura, bent over, and quickly removed Sakura's bonds. "You are free to roam about our camps, do our bidding, and travel with us. If I can't find you when I call for you or look for you, then I'll order the spider to kill you. Make no mistakes, for you'll have no second chances. Do you understand?"

Sakura nodded. Her mouth was dry from the gag and hours or days of travel with little water. She didn't trust herself to speak clearly. Finally, she squeaked, "May I have some water?"

"Certainly my dear. In fact, here," Deidara grabbed an almost empty water skin and handed it to Sakura. "Go make yourself useful and fill this with water. The river, where I got that clay, is over that way." Deidara pointed.

Unsteady on her feet, Sakura stumbled in the direction Deidara indicated. She found the river, drank till she was overfull, and filled the skin. Sakura considered running and trying to break away from Deidara, but she could still feel the sting of the clay spider. Sakura knew Deidara wasn't bluffing. She'd better do as Deidara bid, or she wouldn't survive.

Sakura knew she must live. She had a mission to find Sasuke and help him kill his brother Itachi. How else would she be able to be with the boy she loved?

Now that Sakura had met Itachi, she knew how terrifying an enemy he could be. However, Sakura felt there was no other way to be with Sasuke then to help him accomplish his one overriding goal. If she were going to help him, Sakura needed to survive this imprisonment and eventually escape.

Setting her mind on the tasks of survival and escape, Sakura trudged back into the camp of evil, carrying a full water skin for her new captors.

(to be continued in Chapter Five: Apprentice)