Author's Note: Hey heeeey! How have y'all been?! I know this wasn't as soon as everyone hoped but I was legit working on it since early January! ;-; With that being said, I worked on it on so many occasions that I ended up hating this chapter lol. Whenever I work for so long on something (whether drawings or cosplays) I end up hating the thing. :')) I also didn't proofread this so sorry in advance!

Putting that aside, I was very very happy with all the reviews the last chapter got! I really thought everyone forgot about this story so I was very surprised when it received this much attention T.T I love you guys so much! It was seriously the reason I decided to just submit whatever I had written for now because I knew it would take forever if I waited to add more scenes. I literally stayed up last night just to finish this. :')

Disclaimer: some parts of this chapter were taken from Naruto manga chapter 328 volume 36.

Enjoy!

Far Beyond The Truth

Chapter 17

"I see, thank you so much."

Unghh...

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else."

Unnghhhh... where—

"Shikamaru, you're finally up."

The boy grunted as he slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the whiteness of the room he was currently in.

Where—

He looked left and right barely bothering to move his head, studying with his eyes the plain white walls surrounding him. He blinked few times until he could finally think, widening his eyes when realization had slapped him in the face.

"Ino—!" Shikamaru exclaimed sitting up immediately. A strong, burning wave of pain hit him in the back and the boy was forced to lay back down, grunting loudly.

"Your back is severely burned, Shikamaru. You will need to stay in bed for a while..." Temari spoke from a chair next to him, looking down apologetically. Shikamaru was unable to hold it in at this point for the pain was too severe for him to stay still. "…You were lucky I was able to find a medic in time. Otherwise—" The blonde gritted her teeth and pulled her fingers together in fists. That Akatsuki had hurt enough people she cared about already.

It took another couple of minutes for the Nara to get accustomed to his injury and upon looking down at his body, he noticed his chest and abdomen were completely bandaged, an IV line connected to his hand.

"How long…have I been here..?" Shikamaru managed to say, fatigue evidently shown in his voice. The events of the confrontation with Deidara were coming back to him again and it was not making him feel any better.

"2 days now. You would not even flinch and I was hella convinced it was too late—" Temari's smile held both worry and relief. She was scared all this time he would never wake up again and thus refused to leave his side. Shikamaru only kept a solemn face, staring ahead at the plainness of the wall.

"And Ino…" He mumbled, already knowing the answer to the question he did not need to ask.

"You were alone when I found you injured on the ground. You needed urgent treatment."

The boy sighed and closed his eyes, shaking his head. Seeing him that calm took Temari by surprise for the Nara was panicking about his teammate the moment she had seen him at the Hokage's office.

"You don't seem so stressed anymore, about this whole thing—" She remarked looking outside the window on top of his head, following a bird with her eyes. "…did that explosion hit you that hard in the head?" The girl could not hold back her comment. No circumstances would hold her back from picking on that Konoha shinobi.

To add more to her surprise, Shikamaru let out a chuckle.

"Maybe— but I also figured that Ino is most likely okay, physically to say the least." Before Temari could ask further, the boy continued. "Deidara needs her alive. I don't know what he's planning or why he's bringing her along, but he kept her alive all this time. With that being said," Saying the following his eyes narrowed. "I don't know how much of that will change now that she knows he is the enemy. From what I understood, she was willingly accompanying him because she was suffering from amnesia. So in the case she is not as cooperative with him anymore—"

"He might want to get rid of her." The kunoichi finished, nodding in understanding. Shikamaru kept looking at the distance, deep in thought.

"This is only a possibility. Akatsuki… they want the Jinchurikis, correct? What use could they make of Ino? Unless he thinks we would easily trade her with Naruto, which is ridiculous—" He rolled his eyes almost dismissing the thought. "…but then again knowing Naruto, as soon as he finds out about this, he will rush in himself to save Ino— and then Bam! Right into the trap! That's it! All we need to do is to keep it a secret and go ourselves—" Shikamaru excitedly concluded about to sit up. He was interrupted by the sand kunoichi who poked him on the forehead with enough force to keep him in place.

"That explosion did mess you up in the head." Temari frowned standing up and crossing her arms. "I've already sent a report back to Konoha. You're not going anywhere, not like this." Her words seemed final. Not like the boy would have argued any further. She was right. But Temari was just glad he was going to put some thinking into it. After all, all the possibilities he came up with were valid. He probably just needed to see Ino was okay.

"You're right. That was stupid." Shikamaru sulked at the gesture the blonde had just pulled. "I guess we'll have to wait for the Hokage's reply." He sighed admitting defeat. He let his eyes wander around the room checking it out.

"Where are we?" The Nara finally questioned. It was a basic room with nothing that gave away the location. He could feel a nice breeze from the window above his head though.

"Tanigakure. It was the closest civilization." The sand ninja spoke to which Shikamaru nodded. His gaze landed on the vase at the bedside table and as he observed the flower arrangement of the bouquet, his mind began to drift off.

Ino…

"Yo, who's this for?" Shikamaru sluggishly leaned on the Yamanaka flower shop stand, watching as Ino carefully placed one flower after another, pausing every few seconds to check the arrangement.

"Asuma-sensei came back from his mission a bit wounded. Nothing too serious but he will be staying at the hospital for few days. So I'm making something for him, a Yamanaka Special 'get well soon' bouquet."

The boy arched a lazy eyebrow, staring at the blooms.

"They all look the same to me really—" He mumbled as he yawned, opening his eyes again to face the daggers shooting out of the blonde's eyes.

"Huh! What would a slacker like you know?! So much thought is put into Ikebana designs that people just take for granted. For instance," Ino shifted her weight and pointed at her current work. "This is one of our original best-sellers, as the colorful daisies we use add natural beauty that pulls recipients out of the gloominess that being sick has caused them to sink into.Exactly 15 stems are balanced in this arrangement, and daisies are guaranteed to stay fresh for 7 days creating a good chance that the blooms will remain bold and beautiful even after the recipient has returned to health!"

"I see…" Shikamaru muttered, not caring still about all what she had said despite admiring the finished product. "They all still look the same to me."

Smack.

Daisies…huh?

The boy pondered, unconsciously counting the stems.

That can't be— it's exclusively a Yamanaka arrangement—

Shikamaru was about to prop himself up for a better look when Temari's voice broke him out of his chain of thoughts.

"Shikamaru? She's asking how are you feeling."

The Nara looked back ahead of him confused, noting the presence of another girl that he did not seem to notice. She was holding few equipment in her hands so she must have been the medic in charge.

"Oh— sorry, was a bit distracted." Shikamaru shook his head, trying to focus. "I'm fine. Thank you for saving me."

"No problem! That was a really tough injury you got there. You should thank this lady for bringing you here before it was too late!" The girl cheered, pointing at Temari. "Meiko Otonashi by the way!"

Shikamaru smiled, nodding to the girl. "Shikamaru."

"You should rest for a while, you need to allow your wounds to heal."

The leaf ninja nodded again absentmindedly, turning every few seconds to stare at the vase.

"Say—" The boy started, his eyes fixated at the bouquet now. He was struggling with himself over how to ask about the assembly of the blooms.

This is ridiculous— am I really considering this?

Meiko tilted her head in confusion and opened her mouth to speak before Shikamaru continued.

"This flower arrangement—" He said looking at the vase. "who did it?"

Temari almost lost her balance at the unexpected question. An additional moment of speculation lead her to his line of thought and she looked back at the medic to see her hesitant.

"That? It...was an old assistant. Why are you asking?"

Old?

"She doesn't work here anymore? What was her name?" The Nara straight out ignored her question, but the urgency in his voice could not be missed by Meiko so she answered anyway.

"Yeah. She only worked for few days. Her name was Ino...uhh—"

"Yamanaka?" Shikamaru finished his eyes narrowing immediately. "...Tell me everything you know."

"I think I finally understand…the things…the third accomplished…until now…I finally think I get it…" Asuma chuckled lightly. "…I am always too late…"

Asuma tried to smile, but the blood forcefully leaving his mouth made it a difficult task. They carefully put him down on the ground as he looked up at them.

"One last thing…" He coughed. "…Ino…Chouji… Shikamaru…there's something I want to say…to you all..." […]

"Ino—" Asuma whispered smiling.

"..yes..?!"

"You're very confident, but…you know how to take care of yourself…Chouji and Shikamaru…these guys are kind of clumsy…so take care of them…"

"Yes…" She answered, wiping her nose.

"…and…don't you lose to Sakura…in ninjutsu or in love…"

Why am I remembering this...right now...

The blonde grunted, unable to open her eyes still.

Everything feels so heavy...and I can't move anything...am I dead? The girl thought to herself, engulfed in darkness. She could vaguely hear the sound of chains and metal for few moments until everything blurred back into oblivion.

It was not until hours that Ino regained consciousness, slightly shifting in her place as she groaned at the hardness of the surface.

Ugh this is so uncomfortable... and the place smells like a rat's ass…

She fluttered her eyes half-open looking at her dark surroundings. The ache crippling upon her head urged for a hard rub but as she aimed to reach for it, the metal chains holding her hands together forbid her to do so.

Huh?

She pulled her hands forcefully in an attempt to free herself, but the restraints did not think so. She immediately tried to move her legs but as expected, they were chained as well. Further attempts of movement had given her the conclusion that not only her limbs were restrained together, but both chains keeping her arms and legs locked together were connected to a loop on the ground. So in other words, she could not even stand up.

What kind of prison is this?!

The last thing Ino could recall at that moment was her mission with her teammates; the direct confrontation with the Akatsuki to be precise. She tried to swallow the lump of saliva that had formed as the realization hit her, for she had undoubtedly been taken hostage by those criminals.

Shit, this is bad… The girl thought starting to panic. Not only was she physically restrained, but her entire chakra had been sealed. There was no way she could escape. The distant sound of a gate opening then closing echoed in the area and at that the Yamanaka immediately closed her eyes shut, playing unconscious. The more she could hear the steps getting closer the more her heart beat faster, but the boy still fell for it when he finally reached her prison cell.

"Still asleep, un?" Deidara mumbled more so to himself. Ino was unsure whether she heard a sigh coming from him but the sound of a paper being snatched off the metal took her by surprise. The moment the Akatsuki member opened the bars, the kunoichi was hit with the wave of chakra flowing back through her. It almost made her even more tired.

My chakra…is coming back…

The Yamanaka was so overwhelmed with this unexpected turn of events that she did not notice what the boy was doing in her cell. It was only after she heard him slam the bars shut that her mind went back to him, cursing under her breath at how it sealed her chakra again.

The only way out for me is to use my Mind Body Switch on this Akatsuki and free my body. But how can I do that when my arms are chained down and I can't use my chakra?!

The florist waited until she heard the dungeon gates closing again before she opened her eyes and propped herself up. She took her time scrutinizing the area in search of something that could help her but unluckily, everything was so dark. She noted a very tiny window with metal bars but it only did so much to lighten the cell. To her surprise, however, there was a plate of food laying right in front of her, and as much as she was trying to deny it smelled really good.

Heh, as if I'd eat anything these criminals would throw me.

But her stomach gurgles begged to differ.

The Yamanaka huffed, dismissing the idea. She was not that desperate yet and if they were bothering to feed her, they did not want her to die just yet.

Plus—

Hold on, I can't even lift my hands enough to reach the plate, how does he expect me to eat?! Is he that dumb? No… he….

Ino popped a vein on her forehead when she comprehended his reasoning.

Does he seriously expect me to shove my face in the food?! What am I, an animal?!

The kunoichi was so salty about this that she could not sit still anymore. She began to pull on the chains aggressively despite knowing it was futile, cursing under her breath in an attempt of releasing the anger building up within her.

This is very humiliating… why include the chopsticks then?!

Not only was she taken hostage, but they were literally treating her so inferiorly. Not that it was unexpected from those damned criminals anyway. In fact, she would have been more skeptic had they allowed her to eat so gracefully.

If he breaks the seal whenever he enters and my chakra is slowly released, all I need to do is to distract him and buy time to gain enough chakra for a Mind Body Switch. I probably have one shot at this so I can't fail…

Ino sighed and looked down, the plate of food right in front of her. She glared at it as if it had killed her parents then huffed, the sound echoing in the empty cell.

The harsh sound of the dungeon gates closing was the queue for the blond Akatsuki to release his sigh, leaning back on the wall immediately. He swore under his breath as he placed a trembling hand on his stomach, feeling the freshness of his blood contaminating his palm.

Kakuzu is no longer here to fix me up and my stitches are not enough. There's only so much these bandages can do… Fuck… at this rate—

Deidara slowly slid his back down the wall, grunting louder at the pain emitting from the dozen injuries his body sustained. As much as he hated to admit, that shadow manipulator had impressed him quite well. He thought he had accurately estimated the maximal range his shadow blades could reach. Him using the shadow his own bird had casted was completely unpredictable.

I'm back to fucking zero, if not minus ten since I'm suffering with more injuries now, un. Fucking fuck. Not only I lost my health and my chance to catch the Kyuubi, but now I also lost—

Ino, he caught himself the moment that name crossed his mind. It left him startled; suddenly not disturbed by the pain anymore. It was not like he was denying the feelings he had developed towards the kunoichi, but he did not imagine it would bother him this much. In fact, it was occupying his mind the moment his clay bird caught the girl. Nothing was going to be the same anymore.

This is fucking ridiculous, un. I should stop thinking about it… The boy shook his head vigorously, trying to forget about it. You don't need her. She's useless. You were doing fine alone, un.

The bomber knew he was being soft on that kunoichi of Konoha but he was playing it down with how 'harmless' she was. Even if she regained her memory, she should probably still be very confused about this. Besides, as long as her limbs were chained and her chakra was sealed, she stood no chance. Normally, Akatsuki members are much crueler to their prisoners. But Ino could still serve as bait for the Kyuubi so he 'needed' to keep her alive. He also 'happened' not to have crappy food so he had to leave her a decent meal.

Deidara sighed and leaned his head back, closing his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind when the sound of chains snapped him back. He blinked and turned towards the gates, realizing what that metallic noise coming from the dungeon signified.

She's awake… He thought, his heart unusually beating faster. What should he say? How could he confront her? And most importantly, did she remember anything about the past few days at all?

The Yamanaka kept pulling on the chains harder, giving the impression of wanting to free herself despite knowing that she was unable to. She wanted to make enough noise for the Akatsuki to come, although she was somewhat worried someone else would come besides the blond. She did not pause even when she heard the doors open, as this was definitely not the time for her to show weakness. Despite intentionally luring the shinobi, it still somehow took her by surprise to see the bomber standing outside the bars, keeping a solemn face.

Tch…

Ino frowned and opened her mouth to speak but the blond beat her to it.

"I see you still have the strength to glare at me, un. What's the last thing you remember?" He straight-out spat, his icy blue eyes locking hers. The area suddenly fell silent and Deidara was feeling the weight of his silly question growing on him, but he did not care at that moment. He needed an answer. He needed to confirm whether everything was truly over.

The florist blinked for few moments, trying to make sense of what that Akatsuki had asked about. What was with the question? What did he do?

"What do you want from me? Let me out!" The Yamanaka pulled on the chains again, her glare contrasting the dull, impassive expression Deidara adopted. Said-boy only stared at her in silence, and it was enough for the Yamanaka to understand that he was not going to speak until she answered his question.

"You blasted us all," She rolled her eyes, adjusting her position. "..what happened to my teammates? You better not have harmed them! Otherwise I'll— l-let me go—!" She forcefully pulled on the chains in anger again, not breaking the eye contact with the artist. Deidara remained unimpressed, crossing his arms.

"Do you really think I'd let you go? What a dumb thing to say, un. Is this what they teach you in Konoha?" Deidara retorted raising an eyebrow. "Look, you're my bait for the Kyuubi. I'm already being nice enough by not chaining you up the wall and by offering you a decent meal."

Had Ino known any better, she would have noticed the drop in the man's voice. Deidara was not sure if it was for the better that the girl did not remember any of their interactions. It would have made it more difficult for the both of them, for he was almost sure that she also liked him a bit too much the last few days. Perhaps this way he could forget about her easier. But did he really want to? It felt nice to have her around. But then again, she was a completely different person. Odds are, he might not even like the current Yamanaka.

"Oh you kind soul, leaving me to stuff my face in a plate. Thanks for your generous offer, but I will pass."

If he needed her alive to catch the Kyuubi, then he had to have her eat right?

"Suit yourself, un," Deidara shrugged turning around. "You starving is the least of my concerns, un. I don't even need you alive." He smirked and started walking towards the gates, counting under his breath.

1, 2, 3—

"Ugh wait—" Ino sighed calling after the Akatsuki. She did not know why she was being too comfortable with the S-rank missing nin. Despite him being a dangerous criminal, he did not give off a sinister, non-negotiable aura. He did not even seem too far from her age. But chances are he really did not care whether she ate or not. Plus she needed every bit of energy she could get to successfully carry out her escape plan.

"What is it now, un?" Deidara complained secretly amused. Maybe she did not change that drastically.

"I will eat, I will eat—" The florist sighed closing her eyes. She bit her lower lip, not believing what she was about to do. "..but can you at least release my hands from the ground? You can keep them chained up together but like… I would prefer to eat properly with my hands and not shove my face in the food. It's not like I can do anything anyway.." She tried sounding as desperate as she could. She had to have him enter and break the seal. She highly doubted the Akatsuki would comply anyway but—

"Sigh. Fine, un."

Ino blinked at hearing those words. Was he really going to release that chain for her? Why? Did he consider her that weak? She was very relieved and angry at the same time that it was ironic. Him underestimating her that much was offensive after all.

Deidara on the other hand did not even know why those words had left his mouth. Was he legitimately freeing her? It was just…she sounded so helpless. Not that he should care but he did anyway. Besides, what could she do? Her feet were still chained together to the floor. It was just… this time…

Deidara mentally punched himself in the stomach as he dragged his feet towards the small cabinet on the wall, rummaging through the keys until he found the one he wanted. He would have hit himself for real had his abdomen not been already injured enough.

It was still surprising for the kunoichi to see the bomber actually head back towards her cell, unlocking it open with few hand seals. The moment he removed the paper off the metal, the girl could feel her chakra coming back to her so it was only a matter of how much she could stall at the moment.

"Thanks…" She muttered so bitterly, cursing at herself for actually thanking an Akatsuki. Kind reminder: they killed Asuma sensei.

Deidara did not respond. He silently undid the chain, standing up to look down at her as soon as she was able to lift her hands away from the ground. He watched as she hesitantly reached for the plate and when he turned around ready to leave, the blonde stopped him again.

"Hold on—" Ino started, setting the chopsticks down. "That was too easy. How do I know it is not poisoned?"

The Yamanaka knew her comment did not make any sense. It was utterly stupid. If he wanted to kill her, he would have done it ages ago without even going through this entire mess. She just wanted to save time. As much as she could. Her chakra was coming back to her and she needed few more minutes for one shot of a mind transfer.

"Are you shitting me right now?" Deidara faced her again. "Do you think if I wanted to kill you I'd kill you like this?!" It suddenly turned too personal, as if Ino had just insulted him. Maybe she was truly this dumb all along?

"I don't know! You Akatsuki are crazy psychos!"

A bit more!

"I'm pretty sure we all agree about this, but I'd never kill you by poisoning your food, un, it's absolutely not artistic!"

Ino thought it was very odd how Deidara got too worked up about this, not that she minded for she was gaining more time and chakra. But it was funny how agitated the boy suddenly turned, crouching down to her level so his glare could exactly meet her eyes.

"What are you—"

Before Ino could continue, the terrorist had already grabbed her hand that held the chopsticks, shoving some of the noodles inside his own mouth.

"Hwappy?!" A frowning Deidara mumbled through the food in his mouth. He was glad it was dark in that room for he could feel his cheeks slightly heat up.

Ino blinked and slightly blushed herself, the entire situation looking strangely too familiar. Her eyes locked with that of the glaring blond, her mind flashing images that were uncalled for.

"Hai."

Deidara wondered who the girl was addressing to, until a batch of noodles forcefully entered his mouth as he turned around.

Insert a coughing fit.

"Oh yeah. Let's all take advantage of Deidara's injury and do whatever the fuck we want, un." The sincere, wide smile the male blond had flashed could have been easily mistaken to a heartfelt one had that last week the kunoichi had spent with the Akatsuki not taught her about his demeanor. So she just patted his shoulder assuredly, which he immediately shooed away.

"Oh c'mon Dei, we both know you can't do that yourself without spilling some on you." Saying that she reached with her chopsticks next to his mouth, he looked away rejecting her again.

"Don't call me Dei. Will you let me try, un?"

"Well since we became kinda friends I thought—"

Sighing through her nose and setting the chopsticks in the bowl, she placed the soup container on his lap then crossed her arms awaiting his failure.

Deidara chose to disregard what the leaf ninja had just said for he was not sure what relationship they shared himself. Staring at the bowl and grinning with pride, he made sure the noodles were well-caught between the wooden sticks and closed his eyes, slowly lifting his hand to his face.

Huh?

The missing nin was confused when he did not feel any noodles enter his mouth but instead, the flavorless taste of wood hit him hard. He gradually opened an eye, peeking at his hand until he took a little jump back in his place, seeing how the noodles and the drops of soup were all over his bandages and blanket.

Cough

Deidara froze in his place, not daring to look back at Ino who –he was positively sure- wore an 'I-told-you-so' frown on her face.

Turning his gaze back at a snail's pace, Deidara dropped the troubled look in favor of the guilty 'ehehehe-my-bad' one and laughed, scratching the back of his neck.

"W-woops, un…"

Wh-what—

Ino's eyes widened at the scene flashing before her, unconsciously pulling away from the artist. Feeling awkward and stupid over what he had just done, Deidara immediately stood up and looked away, avoiding her eyes.

"As you can see it's not poisoned, un…" He muttered embarrassed, heading back to the door. What was he doing?! He could no longer share such interactions with that girl anymore. They were both enemies. She did not even remember anything about him either.

I should really just— why is it so cold all of a sudden…?

Deidara did not realize when he had started to breathe rapidly, nor how come his body suddenly felt so weak. He stood in his place trying to orientate, placing a hand on his forehead.

Now's my chance! Ino thought lifting her hands in a seal that was aimed at the boy's back. Before she could even utter any word, Deidara collapsed.

This is…ridiculous.… Deidara pondered after he had fallen on the ground, grunting in pain. He could smell the blood he had lost and he found it ironic how he was brought back to the same situation except that this time, there was no way he could be saved.

What the hell?!

Ino was taken by surprise but she did not lose focus. It was perfect timing for her since his body was stationary. She aimed her hand seal at the groaning blond, whispering "Ninpõ: Mind Body Switch jutsu!"

The Yamanaka's eyes narrowed as her spiritual energy travelled to her target, cheering as it successfully entered his mind.

Yes!

Maintaining the jutsu was harder for the Yamanaka than what she had imagined, finding herself fighting to stay in control. She was unsure whether it was because of her very low chakra until she started to feel pain and, before she knew it, she was back in her own body.

Her mind transfer got rejected.

No! It can't be! Why is he in so much pain?! I can't maintain the jutsu—!

Ino reached to pull the artist's body closer, gasping when she felt the fresh blood staining her palms. She tried not to question it and searched his body, hoping to find a key somewhere.

"it's…useless, un. The only key I had…was for that specific lock…" Deidara managed to say, his lips pulled back in a slight smirk. Blood trailed down his mouth as he half-opened his drained blue eyes, locking them on hers above him.

Similar flashbacks played in the kunoichi's mind yet again, causing her to hold and shake her head in denial.

What are those memories—?! Are they even real-?!

Deidara's expression soon softened, sending shivers down the Yamanaka's spine. It still surprised her how he still managed to grin despite his injury.

"If I die here, you will follow me soon after, un." was the last thing the man had spoken before he closed his eyes. Ino immediately realized what the blond had meant for if that Akatsuki died, she would never break free. Her limbs were still restrained with chains that could not be broken even if she regained her chakra. She did not have Sakura's super human power after all. By the time someone found her, she would have starved to death. Or worse; if another Akatsuki came to check, they would probably think she killed him herself. If that was the case, she would wish she had died.

Shit—! What do I do?!

Deidara's final words echoed in her brain and without giving it a second thought, she tore open his cloak, gasping again at all the injuries the Akatsuki sustained.

How—?

The florist was aware of her chakra limitations so she was starting to panic. She knew that she could not heal every injury of his and instead, she decided to treat the critical ones to at least keep him alive.

He can't die on me. He's my only chance of getting outta here—!

Soon after the kunoichi had begun healing his wounds, flashbacks played before her eyes on fast-forward. They were similar events to what she was going through now. At that point she had come to the conclusion that she had previously met the boy, and more questions arose concerning the matter.

This guy—we have known each other before. How? Why did he not say anything about this…?

It did not take long for Deidara to open his eyes again, coming face to face with a concentrating Ino. He slowly blinked until the outline of her face sank in, letting out a weak smirk.

"You're not gonna let me rest, huh? You need me around that much?" His voice was soft but still playful, enough to trigger the Yamanaka to stop. "Somehow I keep finding myself in the same situation. Thanks for saving my life, un." His grin was too irritating for the Yamanaka to ignore. She was already regretting what she had just done. She had just saved an Akatsuki after all. She probably should have left him to die and her own self to follow.

"You might wish I didn't." Ino held one of the chopsticks by his neck, glaring straight into his eyes. Deidara only chuckled, confidently fixating them on hers. His head was resting on her lap.

"You won't kill me, un. You need me."

Ino raised an eyebrow.

"You're a missing nin. Getting rid of you criminals is my duty. What makes you so sure I won't do it regardless?" She pressed the tip of the wooden stick against his neck in a threat, but Deidara never erased the grin off his face.

"Because you're not that kind of person." He simply stated, shrugging. That only confirmed the kunoichi's suspicion.

"So we do know each other after all." That settled it. She needed to know what connection she shared with this criminal. She would never betray her village. And yet…

"Look, Yamanaka, how about we have a deal?" The fact that he knew her name was already alarming. He propped himself up on one elbow, keeping the eye contact. He reached to hold her cheek with his hand, a weak smirk lifting his lips. "How about you heal my wounds, and I let you go, un?"

Hope you guys liked the chapter! As you can see there were many flashbacks (just like the actual anime lol!) but I'm hoping to be able to gradually add more fluff because even I can't handle it anymore haha.

Please don't forget to review! It really motivates me a lot to keep going and reading all the reviews you left made me super happy!

Much love and see you soon! (hopefully!)