Chapter Eighteen

It had been a few days since the pair had left Kirigakure, they had followed Nakiro's plan of leaving the following day after their meeting with Shuhei and began their journey to Tanigakure. Before leaving the blood mist that morning, they'd made time to gather supplies necessary for the mission, some basic shinobi tools and on the go food. In the days of their traveling they had stopped few times, traveling both day and night to reach their destination. In those days, Nakiro had worked out a series of different battle scenarios and the actions each of them should take to ensure victory. However, they hadn't had time to actually talk out all their strategic moves because of the continuous air travel. Once they landed and made camp, they would be able to discuss everything at length and build a solid plan.

As much as Nakiro wished she could just kill the snake Sannin and be done with it, there was far more that could be accomplished by letting him live, for a while at least. Each of her goals could become reality solely from giving Orochimaru mercy, no the slate wouldn't be wiped clean for him and she would surely end his life, but it wouldn't be immediate. Finding out about her people was the top priority for her, for Deidara though, it was reclaiming her lost voice. She'd grown accustomed to being a mute over the almost two years, but it could be a major pain at times. Getting her voice back was second on her list and finally, avenging her fallen family; his death would bring justice to her people. Honestly, all of those things could tie for the rank of most important but for now, she just needed to focus on defeating the Sannin.

Nakiro continued to remind herself that everything she'd done up until this point had prepared her for the battle at hand, all of her training throughout her childhood, the different shinobi she'd worked with during her time in Konoha, all of her experiences from becoming a Genin to Anbu; it was all to bring her to this moment. The moment where she would finally be able to face a legendary Sannin and hold her own, it seemed that destiny had always been driving her to this moment. However, she still had her doubts. She knew for a fact she was stronger than she was the last time they'd met, and she wouldn't be caught off guard this time but there was still the chance of failure; failure wasn't an option. However, even though it wasn't an option, it was still a possibility.

The former Konoha shinobi wasn't sure what she would do if what remained of her clan were in fact dead, as much as she wished for a different outcome, the scales weren't tipping in her favor when it came to that. Nakiro knew that she'd have to decide on what to do from that point forward, what path she should take for her future and the like, if she survived the battle that is. What would she do though? Did she want to continue looking for Itachi for the remainder of her life, even after she'd fallen in love with Deidara? That would surely complicate things for them as a couple and she still had yet to even tell the blonde about her beloved. It wasn't that she was keeping it a secret, the subject had just never come up, or that's what she told herself anyway. Deidara had always been possessive, making his claim on her known long before they'd admitted feelings so she was sure he was prone to jealousy. Perhaps that was the reason she'd never mentioned Itachi to him, she didn't want to upset the bomber in any way, shape or form. She did love him, she was sure about that but those feelings didn't stop her from still loving her childhood friend.

For now though, she needed to push Itachi and any other futuristic plans to the back of her mind and focus all her attention on the current task, facing Orochimaru. Her red eyes were scanning the list of known jutsu used by the Sannin, her free hand moving along the pages of her sketchbook, drawing out yet another possible battle scenario. Once she was finished with all the potential battles, she and the former Iwa shinobi could discuss them. She'd been doing this for days, going over all of their jutsu and figuring out different battle strategies, thankfully she'd thought to buy another sketchbook before leaving Kirigakure, it was almost completely filled with just tactics alone.

"Nakiro."

Nakiro turned her eyes to Deidara at the sound of her name, he was standing at the edge of the bird, studying the terrain below them. He looked back at her over his shoulder, his visible blue eye meeting her red ones.

"I think I found a good place to land hm." he called.

She nodded once in agreement and stowed her things away in her bag, moving to her feet. Deidara's creation had slowed in the past few hours they'd been flying since they'd crossed over into Tanigakure, they'd been traveling at a more leisurely pace since they'd made it a day and half early. Now the only thing left to do was make their camp for the evening and rest up until the snake Sannin showed himself, they had plenty of time to go over these new battles plans she'd drawn up and time for Deidara to replenish the chakra he'd spent in the past days. The teenage girl swiftly crossed the bird to her partner's side and handed her bag off to him before looking over the edge of the bird.

"Right there hm."

She followed his line of sight, nodding in agreement when he pointed out exactly where he was talking about. The cliffs were tall and towering, overlooking the small valley below it. There were large trees close to the edge of the cliff where they could take shelter if need be and a small stream that ran through the greenery and over the cliff. They'd be able to keep sight of everything going on around and below them, know when people were coming and going so even if Orochimaru tried to move stealthily, they'd still hear the echoes bouncing off the cliffs; her partner couldn't have found a more perfect spot for them to settle.

'That's perfect, we can land inconspicuously and be close enough to the location to know when he arrives.'

The large bird dipped downward, making a graceful dive and the pair hopped from it's back towards the trees. A large puff of white smoke filled the area as they fell through the air, despite the smoke around them, they'd manage to make an easy landing on one of the larger tree-branches. Nakiro bent her knees when her feet made contact with the branch and focused her chakra, hopping to the next branch with ease, making her way down towards the grassy plane. She could've rolled her eyes when she noticed Deidara had just free-fallen the way down, his feet making contact with the grass in a soft thud.

'The showoff.'

The blonde teenager was grinning up at her as she slowly made her way down the branches and tossed their bags to the side before holding his arms out to her. His grin widened by a fraction as he stared up at her, she felt her heart skip.

"Jump hm." he instructed, sounding teasing.

'Kami, this isn't a romance novel.'

However, she wouldn't ruin his small moment of fun despite how cheesy it was. She jumped from the last branch, her dark turquoise hair flying all around her and giggled silently when she landed right in his outstretched arms, her arms immediately moving around his shoulders to support herself. Her cheeks were quick to darken when she realized they were nose to nose, chest to chest, his hands under her thighs to support her when he'd caught her.

'He planned that, cocky jerk.'

Her face flushed hotter at the thought, Deidara chuckled softly while never breaking eye contact with her, his lips moving to form a devilish smirk. A sudden shyness filled her in the moment and she lowered her eyes bashfully, not daring to look in his visible eye again. Despite the shy feeling, she also felt an even more overwhelming feeling consuming her at their closeness, one she hadn't felt since him; desire. She bit down on her lip when the blonde made no movement to set her on her feet, her fingers subconsciously moving into his hair. A low hum of approval came from his throat at her touch, his grip under her thighs tightening only slightly. A heavy breath passed through her lips at the movement, red eyes flicking to meet his blue one.

"Kiro." he murmured, his nose touched hers.

His tone of voice had her breath caught in her throat, he was feeling the exact same way as she in that moment and the feeling of desire burned hotter inside her. Her fingers tightened in his blonde locks and she tugged him closer, their lips colliding in a rough kiss. She could've moaned at the fierceness of his lips on hers, his kiss was dominating, filled with want and overwhelming in all the best ways. Another silent moan filled her throat as she moved her lips back against his desperately, her need for him almost unbearable when his tongue rubbed against hers. Nakiro felt her stomach do a flip when low groan came from his throat, his lips breaking from hers and moving to her neck. She tilted her head back absentmindedly, her mouth slightly agape as his teeth grazed her skin, his hot breath sending chills up her spine.

'Fuck.'

Another inaudible groan filled Nakiro's throat when his teeth sank into the sensitive flesh of her neck, a purple bruise quickly rising and marking her as his and his alone. Deidara was taking his time, alternating between placing light kisses and bite marks across her skin, making her feel all the more lightheaded. That familiar warm feeling in the pit of her stomach was spreading, causing her hips to roll against the blonde's.

"Fuck." he grunted lowly, his hot breath in her ear. "Kami, you're so perfect hm."

Her insides were clenching at the husky sound of his voice, it had barely been two weeks but she wasn't so sure she could wait any longer; the tension between them was still so built up. She tugged at his hair again, forcing his lips to meet hers, her hips rolling against Deidara's again. A soft groan came from his throat at the movement and his hands beneath her thighs shifted, one going behind her back and the other to the nape of her neck. The new position wasn't ideal for balance though and even as the pair fell to the ground, they did not break the passionate kiss they were sharing.

Deidara's back met the grass in a soft thud, Nakiro's legs on either side of his hips as they moved their lips against each other's, unphased in the slightest by their newest position. His tongue was gliding over hers, coaxing her into a needier kiss as he tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss, teeth nibbling at her neck. Another moan rose up in her throat when the blonde's free hand slipped up the back of her shirt, the tongue from his hand-mouth running across her skin. Her hips rolled against his for a third time, one of her hands moving down his clothed chest all while his moved around and down the front of her neck, a wet trail following behind.

'Kami.'

Her eyes fluttered open when he broke the kiss, red meeting blue. Her eyes were glossed over in pleasure as she stared down at him, her center clenching when his lips turned up into a cocky smirk. His hand had slid around her back to grip her hip, teeth softly nibbled at her skin greedily before shoving her to the side. Within an instant she was pinned between his body and the soft earth, his knee between her thighs, pressed up against her core. Her cheeks were flushing as she stared up at him, one hand was beside her head and the other had traveled further down her chest, his palm barely brushing against the top of her breast. Nakiro bit down on her lip wantonly, his visible eye moved up to her face and he leaned closer to her.

She bit down on her lip harder and absentmindedly grinded against his knee when he roughly squeezed her breast, rubbing it through the material of her shirt. She arched her back at his touch, one hand going to his chest and the other to grip his shoulder when she felt the soft nibbling against her shirt. The smirk on his face widened and he slowly leaned in closer to her, pushing his knee harder against her core, all the while still caressing her breast. He stopped a few inches short of her lips and hovered over her, her fingertips lightly brushing against his chest.

"That feel good hm?" he purred; her cheeks went hot at the question but she managed to nod.

Deidara chuckled softly at her response, his hand released her breast and slowly slid down to the hem of her shirt, slipping underneath to her stomach. Her lips parted when she felt the tongue gliding across her abdomen, Deidara leaned down closer and pressed a kiss to her neck, teasing her flesh with his teeth seconds later. She tilted her head back against the grass and absentmindedly tugged at his shirt, her free arm moving around his neck to pull him closer. A low growl came from his throat and her cheeks burned hotter when she felt his length rub against her thigh, his lips moved next to her ear.

"Fuck Kiro." he breathed, his hand moved further up her shirt. "You don't even know what you do to me hm." His fingertips met her bra, teeth nibbling at her flesh. "I don't think I can wait hm."

'Fuck, me too.'

Her arm had slipped from around his shoulders and moved down his chest, stopping at his stomach. Her insides clenched again when his hips rolled into her touch, his clothed length bumping against her palm. Desire burned through her at the action, subconsciously rubbing her center against his knee again.

"I can't wait..." he growled. "To hear the sounds you make when you feel me inside you hm."

Nakiro blinked dumbly at his words, her hand retreating instantly. He couldn't wait to hear the sounds she'd make? Deidara must've realized just as quickly what he'd said because just as suddenly as she'd moved her hand, he'd moved away from her neck to meet her eyes.

"Damn it, fuck hm. Nakiro...gomen nasai."

She nodded once, knowing it had been an unintentional mistake. It had been said in the heat of the moment and she knew that Deidara hadn't said it consciously, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less. She wasn't angry in the least, more than anything she was downhearted about her situation. Her vocal chords were all but nonexistent, she couldn't even hear herself breathing, what if she never got her voice back? The blonde was staring down at her, a mix between worry for her and frustration with himself; she didn't want him to be angry with himself over a mistake. The former Konoha shinobi moved a hand to her partner's face and smiled as reassuringly as she could in the moment, trying to let him know it was alright. He kissed her palm once before moving his visible eye back to hers, he slipped his hand out from under her shirt.

"Gomen Nakiro." he murmured, she nodded again and he planted another kiss to her palm. "I love you hm."

'I love you too Dei.'

She mouthed it back to him, his lips curved into a genuine smile and he moved to lay next to her in the grass, his arm moving behind his head. Nakiro turned over on her side towards him and tapped her throat, he nodded.

"Well I guess we can talk strategy since I ruined the mood hm." he chuckled, she rolled her eyes in amusement.

'It just caught me off guard Dei, I'm sure I'll still be a little off even after I get my voice back.'

Deidara reached his free arm around her and took hold of the strap of her bag, dragging it across the grass to her. Nakiro smiled appreciatively and pulled out her strategy sketchbook, along with her conversations book. She turned to lay on her stomach as she opened up the sketchbook, turning to the page that held the first possible battle scenario for them. Deidara hand came to rest on the small of her back, his hand-mouth placing a kiss to her skin lovingly. She smiled softly at the gesture and uncapped her pen, she wanted to make sure the blonde would know what she was thinking and feeling before they got started.

Dei

"Nani hm?" her partner questioned.

Just so you know, you didn't ruin anything. Even if I got my voice back today, I'd have to get used to using it again, it's been almost two years.

"I know hm." he agreed, taking a strand of dark turquoise between his fingers. "I just...got a little lost in you. Nothing else mattered hm." She smiled slightly at his words, feeling the same way.

I know...I didn't want to wait anymore today but maybe we should, until I get my voice back.

Deidara's lips formed a smile as he read over her words, his blue eye meeting her red ones.

"I can't wait to hear it hm." he said earnestly. "I bet your words sound like a song." She rolled her eyes at that and lightly shoved his shoulder, he grinned cheekily back at her.

Whatever, let's just get started. We've got about thirty strategies to go over.

"Yeah okay hm." he chuckled, he twirled her hair around a finger. "It's all work and no play right now."

It'll be worth it, then we can go back to doing our own thing once all this is taken care of.

"Sounds good hm." the blonde agreed. "Before we met, I happened across this huge temple I'd love to visit again, gave me tons of inspiration for my art hm. Beautiful place, I'm sure you'd love it hm."

Then we'll go there once we finish up here. I'd love to make a sketch of it.

Deidara nodded after reading her words and pressed his lips to her forehead in a quick kiss, her cheeks turned pink at the contact but she shrugged it off as best she could, turning her attention to her first battle sketch. Within thirty-six hours, she'd be facing Orochimaru and with a little luck, she'd have her voice back. She could only hope, that the scales would tip in her favor.

Author's Note: I promise I haven't given up on this story! Just takes me a little longer nowadays to work through a chapter :)