Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto of it's characters.
Thanks for the reviews! I know the story's not that great right now, but I promise it will get better. Hopefully my writing skills aren't too bad and that everbody will give this a chance. I have the entire plot planned out, I just need the time to write all the chapters.
"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes wide. Her breathing was ragged, and she took a few seconds to realize that everything had been a dream. She calmed down, breathing in and out slowly, when she noticed something warm and long around her waist. Deidara? Or Tobi? Either way, one of them was pressed up against her back at the moment in an uncomfortable position.
She tried moving the arm over gently, but it just tightened its hold around her waist, pulling her closer to the man holding her. She felt him nuzzle her neck, and she started squirming. She didn't want to wake him up, just in case he forgotten the events of last night and immediately tried to kill her- as well as the fact that he had let her share the tent with him.
Suddenly she felt something wet and slimy on her exposed mid-section. She brought her hands to her mouth to muffle the scream, and unluckily for her, the man just pulled her closer, murmuring something unintelligible. She took a closer look at it and realized it was Deidara's mouths. She sighed, relieved. She didn't care about his hands- it was part of him. Just like the Kyuubi was part of Naruto, and the Shukaku had been a part of Gaara. She didn't find anything to be disgusted about. She waited a few moments, wondering what to do next. It didn't seem like Tobi was up yet, and she was still a little tired, so she decided to rest her eyes for just a moment.
Sakura was asleep in no time, curled up against Deidara, who had been awake the entire time. He had to suppress the laugh threatening to burst out of him at the moment- it was funny playing with her. The expression on her face when he licked her was simply priceless, and how she would carefully try to move his arm with no success left Deidara wanting to laugh more than ever.
It hadn't started out as a little joke, though. He had woken up to her tossing and turning in the middle of the night. She had kept muttering something about a 'Sasuke-kun' and at one point she even started crying. He was still extremely exhausted at the time and hadn't cared about what he did, as long as he could finally get some sleep. Without trying to wake her up, he simply placed an arm around her and brought her closer to him for comfort. She almost immediately stopped, curling into his warmth. She continued muttering things as she slept, but she wasn't as restless anymore.
Now, however, he was fully awake. He tried moving to the side a little but Sakura suddenly turned around, facing him. She somehow managed to unconsciously move her head underneath his chin, and Deidara blushed, not used to such intimate contact. He decided that his little game had gone far enough so he stood up slowly, making sure he didn't disturb her too much.
As he sat up, he quickly observed her. Her pink hair was scattered everywhere, and her lips were parted slightly. He had to admit, the girl was cute, but when she was awake her eyes looked so tired, so dead. He didn't care about that, though. That was her problem, not his. She was just fun to annoy, and entertaining to watch. He was curious, though. He'd admit that.
Yeah, that was was all. It couldn't hurt to have a skilled medic and kunoichi on his side, anyways. She would be very useful. And if she became too much trouble to take care of, then he would simply dispose of her. He decided that it really wasn't that big of a deal, anyways. Deidara stretched his arms a bit, deciding to head to the stream to catch breakfast.
"Tobi, you awake?" Deidara asked as he crawled out of his tent. When he heard Tobi's snoring reply, he rolled his eyes. Tobi always slept in. A mischevious grin suddenly spread across his face and he climbed back in his tent to grab a handful of clay. He fashioned a spider out of the material, and pumped a small amount of chakra into it, then set it free towards Tobi's tent. He watched, grinning widely the entire time, as the spider slowly crawled into the tent.
"What are you doing?"
Deidara jumped a bit, surprised. He turned around to see Sakura, her head poking through the tent. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, and Deidara shrugged, saying he was just waking Tobi up. "Oh, really? How?" She asked, curious. It didn't seem like he was doing anything but watching the tent. As if on cue, a loud 'pop' was heard and the tent seemed to inflate with air, then die down right after. After a moment of waiting, Tobi's snoring could be heard again.
"That kid could sleep through anything." Deidara said, and Sakura rose an eyebrow. He sent a bomb into Tobi's tent? The guy was crazy. Sakura crawled out of the tent, standing up to stretch a bit. She had been having nightmares every day, and she was starting to get sick of them. They felt so real- she could hear, see, and even touch them in her dream.
She shuddered at the memory of it all, and Deidara glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. He was still as curious as ever, and her little action hadn't gone unnoticed. He wondered how the other Akatsuki would react to the girl. He was sure that they wouldn't mind having a new medic- the Hokage's apprentice, nonetheless- join their organization. She was definitely strong enough to make it in, and her perfect chakra control was well sought out for.
"I'll get the food." Sakura suddenly exclaimed, stretching. Deidara had been planning to go instead, but she was offering... Hell, he decided that he'd go along with her. "You don't need to come. I can get the food by myself, you know." Sakura said, as Deidara started walking alongside her. The stream wasn't too far away. There was probably plenty of fish, there.
"I've got nothing to do, yeah. And I can practice my art here." Deidara replied. Sakura nodded, staying silent. She didn't feel like talking at the moment. She didn't feel anything, just numbness. Catching fish was a good way to distract her, and to keep her mind off of thinking too hard. Maybe Deidara's explosions would help, too.
The couple soon reached the stream, and Deidara took out some clay. He started molding random things- bugs, birds, fish. He glanced at Sakura, who was splashing around in the water, trying to catch as many fish as she could. She would plunge her hand in the water, and just as fast as it had gotten in, her hand would appear out of the water holding a fish. The splash was always so quick, so fast- almost like a bang. Like an explosion. Excitement found its way to him as he watched her.
He had an idea- why didn't he sculpt her? She wouldn't have to know. He'd just blow it up right away, anyways. She seemed fairly easy enough to sculpt as it is. He took out a normal amount of clay and started working at it. His fingers worked nimbly and fast with practiced ease. When he finished, he compared the two to each other. He bit his lip in irritation. There was something missing.
It just wasn't right. He knew it wasn't the colors- he knew he wouldn't be able to get that, but that wasn't it. There was just something... He couldn't figure out what, so he gave up. It was only a stupid sculpture after all, right? He scoffed. "What are you making?" Deidara looked up, surprised to see Sakura standing before him. He must have been concentrating deeply to have not noticed her sneak up to him. It was a good thing she was currently on his side.
"A sculpture." Deidara replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. She couldn't help but notice how eerily the sculpture looked like her. When Deidara saw the look she was giving him, he sighed, still irritated. "I was sculpting you, okay? Don't think too much about it. I was about to blow it up but then you interrupted me." He said, somewhat harshly.
"Oh, I see." Sakura replied, quietly. She watched as the sculpture of her exploded into different shades of red, orange, and yellow. Did he really have to snap back at her? She had asked politely, expressing her curiosity. She was tempted to snap back at him, but she decided against it. She wasn't in the mood to start an argument, or, well, to do anything at all. She didn't catch the almost sorry look he gave her. He hadn't meant to be that harsh, but he didn't want her to think he was too soft or anything.
She wondered why he was so irritable this morning. He was nice enough to let her tag along, yet now he was blowing up mini versions of herself. If he didn't want her to come along, then why didn't he just leave or kill her? Sakura mentally rolled her eyes- men were so confusing. This guy was no different, from what she could tell. She glanced back at the clear, running water behind her. She could spot some fish swimming along.
"How many fish have you caught so far?" Deidara asked, deciding to change the subject quickly. His tone hadn't softened much, but it was still slightly evident. He may be part of the Akatsuki, but it didn't mean he was a bad person. Sakura held up five large fish, ready to be cooked. Deidara nodded in approval, "That'll be enough." He exclaimed, and Sakura nodded back. She started walking back, leaving Deidara to sit by the river for a while.
He sat there thinking about what he was getting himself into by getting involved with the kunoichi. The last time they'd met, she had been so alive. Her emotions had been so obvious and clear to him. Deidara was nosy. He was also obnoxious, annoying, overconfident and somewhat full of himself. At least he could admit it. He never gives up, either. When he wanted to know something, he made sure he was going to find out, and currently he wanted to know what happened to Sakura.
He was going to ask her bluntly during breakfast, while they were eating the fish she had caught. "Deidara-sempai?" Deidara heard Tobi exclaim a few meters off. Deidara grinned mischeviously, an idea coming to him. He headed towards the direction of the camp, in a way that he avoided Tobi altogether. "Deidara-sempai? Where are you?" Tobi's voice was sounding further and further away.
"Fuck!" Sakura exclaimed, accidentally burning herself. She immediately stuck her finger in her mouth and sucked at it, channelling chakra into the burn at the same time. Deidara snickered, commenting on her use of language. She blushed, slightly embarassed, and Deidara couldn't help but grin at her expression. She set the slightly burnt fish on top of a rock deemed clean enough for the food.
"Where's Tobi?" She asked, and Deidara shrugged, turning away so that she couldn't see the grin on his face. "Well hopefully he comes soon, otherwise everything's going to get cold." She murmured, mainly to herself. Deidara could do nothing but nod, afraid he'd spill his cover if he accidentally burst out laughing or something of the sort. He grabbed a fish that wasn't too charred and bit into it. To his surprise, it actually wasn't that bad. Eventually Tobi had come, after finally giving up on looking for Deidara.
"Hey Sakura." Deidara started, his voice slightly softer than usual. Sakura looked up at him, asking what he needed. "Not that I care or anything, but why were you about to kill yourself, yeah?" Sakura shrugged- if she started talking about it, she'd start remembering things, and then her emotions would overwhelm her, causing her to cry. She was not willing to cry in front of Deidara or Tobi at the moment.
"I wasn't trying to kill myself." Sakura replied, and both knew it was complete bull. He had been watching her for a couple of moments. He saw the emotions flicker through her pained eyes. If he had actually cared, his heart would have clenched and he would have felt sorry for the girl- but he didn't care. His heart hadn't clenched. He refused to admit to having any feelings for anybody. He kept telling himself that he didn't, and continued trying to convince himself that he didn't need any.
He didn't have any feelings towards his family he had left back in his home country. He didn't have any towards Tobi, who would follow Deidara to the ends of the earth if need be, and he definitely didn't have any feelings toward the pink haired girl. Shinobi as strong as him couldn't survive if they had stupid emotions and bonds other than partnership distracting them all the time. He needed to be a strong shinobi, if he was going to survive independantly. He'd made it this far alone- unhappy, but alive.
He found himself wondering exactly what it would be like. If he just stopped being proud, stopped trying to be the perfect artist, the perfect ninja, and simply admit to himself that he had to feel. That he needed emotions, friendship, and maybe even love. He furrowed his eyebrows at the thought. Nobody could love him. Hell, his family didn't even love him. As for the Akatsuki- they weren't a family. No. The members in the organization were simply tools used to reach a goal. World domination. Was it even possible? Even with all the demons they had captured, he highly doubted it.
The rest of the day was spent travelling through the terrain, towards the Akatsuki's latest base. When the three finally reached it, Sakura was starting to have second thoughts about her decision to stick with Deidara and Tobi. "Are you coming in or what, yeah?" Deidara asked, waving a hand in front of Sakura's face. She had spaced out for a second, and he didn't feel like keeping the entrance open any longer than necessary.
"O-oh yeah. Sorry." Sakura mumbled, stepping in. Inside, it was dark- Sakura couldn't see a thing. Suddenly Deidara muttered a few words and the entire place was illuminated with light. She blinked a couple of times as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. When her vision returned to normal, she was surprised to see that the hideout looked like a normal styled home. Right now they were in a living room with a couch and a television set in the center. Off to the side was the kitchen and dining room, and to the other was a hallway probably leading to their personal rooms.
"Who do we have here?" Someone exclaimed. Sakura turned around to come face to face with none other than Sasori. Her eyes widened as she gasped- how was it possible? She had killed him! She and Chiyo-baasama. She watched as his eyes widened in realisation- now he was going to kill her, probably as revenge for killing him in the first place. How had they been able to revive him in the first place?
"You!" Both shouted at each other. Deidara chuckled at the two, finding the whole situation quite funny. He received an intense glare from both currently unamused, and pissed off ninjas. "Is this some kind of joke?" Both exclaimed at the same time. Deidara started laughing hard, holding his stomach. Who knew this kunoichi was so much fun to anger? Not only that, but Sasori as well! Heh, two birds with one stone.
"Deidara-senpai, what's so funny?" Tobi asked, confused. Deidara could only shake his head as he continued laughing. Sakura glared at Sasori, who was glaring right back at her. "Has Sakura-chan and Sasori-kun met already?" Tobi asked, sounding somewhat excited. Sakura sure fit in quite nicely with everyone here in the Akatsuki. If they were all lucky, leader-sama would let her join!
"Yes. They've met, before. Now I'm going to contact Leader- Tobi, make sure they don't kill each other." Deidara exclaimed, laughing the entire time. Sakura backed up, ready to fight if needed. Had Chiyo-baasama's death been in vain? She didn't want to die by the hands of the undead man in front of her- wait, man? Her eyes widened- what had happened to his puppet body?
"Tobi...? Didn't he die?" Sakura asked. She could've sworn he had. She had seen the two swords piercing his body as the puppets of his parents held him still. Tobi nodded, saying that the Akatsuki had used a revival jutsu on him. 'Aw, shit.' Sakura thought- was there no end to these guys? She wondered whose body they used for the revival jutsu, feeling sorry for the poor soul.
"I was not expecting to meet you again." Sasori exclaimed, his voice now calm and as serious as ever. Sakura nodded. The two stood there, simply watching each other awkwardly. They both wondered if either would attack first, though they had no real reason or motivation. Sure, Sakura had killed Sasori, but he had been revived. He wasn't the type of guy to waste his time taking revenge on something that didn't matter to him, anymore. He wanted to know why she was there, though. Like Deidara, he was curious. "Why have you come to the Akatsuki?"
Sakura shifted uncomfortably under his hard gaze. "I'm willing to join." She muttered, and Sasori rose an eyebrow. This was the girl who had been so eager to kill him, as well as the other members in the Akatsuki. His curiousity getting the better of him, he asked what her reasons were. "I... Well... There's nothing for me in Konoha." Sakura replied. She didn't feel like explaining everything to him. She didn't want to relive the pain, the feeling of her heart breaking as she pictured each of her friends' lifeless faces in her mind.
"I see." Sasori replied, seemingly satisfied with her answer. He would just have to ask Deidara about what happened to the girl, later. He knew she was hiding the more important facts, and was obviously not willing to explain them to him any time soon. He watched as she turned away from him, obviously uncomfortable and nervous. She had changed quite a lot as the years had gone by.
For one, the small, young girl that had killed him years ago had now developed into a woman. And a very attractive one at that. He felt blood rush to his face, and he immediately felt ashamed. Damn his new body for making him feel such things! He missed his puppet body- it had been nearly perfect. He hadn't had the time or the supplies to create a new one, so for the moment he had to settle with an aging, fleshy, and not to mention disgusting human body.
"Will you try to kill me?" Sakura asked, still unsure. She was willing to put up one last fight. For Chiyo-baasama, especially, after making the ultimate sacrifice for Gaara. She felt a pang in her chest again, and her eyes immediately started to water. She blinked them back, refusing to show weakness in front of Sasori. She would not cry. She wouldn't.
"No, I won't." Sasori drawled. Despite Sakura's efforts, he had noticed the tears threatening to escape. He watched in curiosity as she desperately tried blinking the tears back into her eyes. Emotions meant weakness- every skilled shinobi knew that. He wondered what she was thinking that was causing her emotions to overwhelm her like that. At least she was trying to hide it.
"I see... Okay." She said, though not fully trusting. She walked to the couch and sat down, Tobi immediately plopping down beside her. She gave him a shaky smile, asking if the television worked. Tobi gladly explained to her how it worked, and although Sakura knew perfectly well how to use a television set, she let him ramble on, glad to have even the smallest distraction. "Thank you, Tobi. I really appreciate it." She exclaimed, after Tobi had finished.
"Tobi is happy to help!" He exclaimed. Sakura gave him a real smile- he reminded her so much of Naruto. So cheerful, so seemingly trusting, and always glad to help her when she needed it. She looked back to the now working television- how had they gotten it to work? It didn't matter, though. She watched without really taking in what was happening and simply started thinking about what her current situation was and the choices she was going to have to make.
For one, she knew that she was starting to get slightly attached to Tobi. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but she had to be cautious about it. She didn't know what lay under that mask of his, and for all she knew, he could have been acting just to gain her trust. She'd play along for a while- fake or not, it was nice having someone goofy around to lift her spirits.
Secondly, she didn't want to die anymore. She didn't know when she had finally decided that, or exactly why, but she knew that she just didn't. Her friends would want her to move on, right? So she'd try. She'd become even stronger for all of them, and create a new life for herself. She'd try joining the Akatsuki, one of the most powerful organizations in the world. She figured that since now that there wasn't a 'Konoha' for them to hurt, it didn't matter anymore wether she joined or not.
Her morals, her beliefs, her thoughts on 'right' and 'wrong'- everything had changed when her friends had died. She was going to start out as a new, clean slate. Instead of the people in Konoha influencing her, it would now be the Akatsuki- that is, if they even accepted her into the organization. And why wouldn't they? Hokage's ex-apprentice, ANBU level, medic-nin. She had been able to defeat one of their members, actually. And now that they knew she wanted to be on 'their side', why not take the chance?
"Sakura Haruno, eh?" Pein asked. He was quite surprised that the Leaf-nin would even consider joining the organization. Deidara nodded, and Pein paused for a moment before continuing. "Tell me more about her current... Situation." He wanted to know more. Why would the Hokage's precious apprentice leave Konoha to join the enemy? It seemed suspicious at first.
"I found her in the woods, a kunai pressed against her throat. She was about to kill herself. So far she has refused to tell me or Tobi the reason why, and has even denied it. She also seems to have obtained the Sharingan in one eye." Deidara replied. He didn't really know much about her, though it was expected with only such a short time spent together.
"Interesting. I will consider it. She may be able to help us greatly in the future. First, we must prove her loyalty." Pein stated. He would gladly accept the girl into the Akatsuki. Her talents and skills as both a shinobi and a medic were known everywhere, and he wouldn't want to pass up an opportunity to get her on their side. Deidara nodded, asking how they were supposed to do that.
"I will send you two on an asassination mission to kill the Mizukage's daughter." Pein exclaimed. He had recently struck a deal with the Mizukage, who hadn't kept his end of the bargain. It would be a way to punish the Mizukage, as well as prove Sakura to be loyal by killing an innocent girl for the Akatsuki. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards in a small smile. "I want this done as soon as possible. You will leave tomorrow and come back no less than a week."
"I will inform her right away." Deidara exclaimed, standing up. A mission with just the two of them alone? He wondered how that was going to turn out. Maybe if he was lucky, she'd be able to get some answers from her. He left the room and headed back to where he left Sasori, Tobi, and Sakura. To his surprise, he found Sakura and Tobi watching television quite peacefully. Sasori was in the kitchen, preparing a sandwich for himself and mumbling something along the lines of, 'My old body never had to eat.'
"Sakura." Deidara exclaimed. She looked away from the TV and at him with curious eyes. Had she already been accepted? She was feeling slightly more confident than she was earlier, after thinking of a couple of reasons as to why she should be allowed to join. The only real problem was to prove that she wasn't secretly feeding information to Konoha, but that could be easily taken care of. "Leader-sama needs you to prove your loyalty, yeah." Deidara stated. Sakura nodded- she figured that much out, already. "We've been assigned on a mission to asassinate the Mizukage's daughter. We're leaving tomorrow, yeah."
Sakura nodded again, she was surprised it had been so quick, though. She wondered why they wanted to kill the Mizukage's daughter, but decided not to question it. If she wanted to prove her loyalty, she had to do it no matter what the circumstances. Besides, it's not like she had never killed before- not that Sakura was proud of it or anything. Her first kill had shaken her up pretty badly, but after that she had learned to push back the guilt and horror after a while. It took some time getting used to, but she was a kunoichi. Not only did she have to be physically strong, but emotionally as well.
"Sasori, yeah, pass me an apple, will ya?" Deidara asked. Sasori looked up from his sandwich-making and gave Deidara a glare. "Fine, fine, I'll get it myself!" Deidara replied, exasperatedly. He headed into the kitchen to grab an apple, grumbling as he did so. Sakura giggled as the small scene was played out in front of her. If things were going to be this amusing, she really wouldn't mind living here. Deidara gave her a glare and she immediately focused her attention back towards the TV, a smile now plastered on her face.
She looked really pretty when she smiled, Deidara noticed. He thought that she should be smiling more often, rather than looking as though she would burst into tears any moment- but he wasn't going to admit any of that out loud. He didn't want her head to get big or anything- she was already a big enough pain in the ass as it is... Okay, so he was exaggerating. The girl hadn't done anything that irritated him yet, except attack him on sight, which wasn't that unexpected. Plus, he'd been the jerk, lately, snapping back at her all the time.
Tobi seemed to have taken a liking to her, already. Of course, he took a liking to everyone, but that wasn't surprising to Deidara in the slightest. Sasori didn't seem very affected that she was here, even though the girl had killed him once before. He wondered if it was just his human body making him soft- though he had to admit, Sasori was much more pleasant to be around now that he was fully human. He wondered what the other Akatsuki would think of her. There was Konan, Kakuzu, Hidan, Itachi, Zetsu, and even Pein-sama whom she hadn't met yet. Deidara personally didn't have a problem with her. She was entertaining to tease and would be quite useful to him.
Sakura and Tobi suddenly burst out laughing, causing Deidara to jump slightly. He glanced at what was playing on the television and immediately rolled his eyes when he recognized it. Cartoons. Tobi loved watching them, and it irritated him to no end at how he could stand that shit. The graphics were horrible and could never pass off as true art. The humour in it never made sense, either, and was probably aimed for those with your, less mature minds.
Suddenly Sakura clutched her stomach, and she started blushing. Deidara rose an eyebrow as Tobi started laughing at her expression, and then realized that her stomach must have grumbled loudly. He hadn't heard from where he was standing, but Tobi apparently had been able to. He watched as she stood up to head towards him and Sasori in the kitchen.
"Uhm... Can I grab something to eat?" She asked, her blush still visible on her face. Sasori, with a mouthful of his sandwich merely grunted, pointing at the fridge. Sakura bit back her laugh and opened the fridge up, taking out an apple. He watched as she sent a small amount of chakra through it- probably out of habit- before she took a bite out of it. After chewing quickly, she immediately swallowed, taking another bite as she did so.
In three minutes flat, she had already finished the apple aside from the core. She threw it in the garbage bin and quickly rinsed her hands before she headed back to the couch where Tobi sat, still watching cartoons. Deidara looked at his own, only half-eaten apple. That girl sure was a fast-eater. He took another bite of his apple, savouring the taste. Things were going to get really interesting, now that Sakura had joined the Akatsuki.
After a couple of hours of simply lounging about and relaxing in the living room, the entrance was suddenly opened, and both Kisame and Itachi stepped forth. Their cloaks were torn in some edges, and Kisame had a wide grin on his face- they had come back from a very fun, entertaining mission. It was supposed to be simple- head towards Amegakure and retrieve some scrolls, but they had been recognized and were immediately attacked. Needless to say, they had won.
When the bright pink hair caught Itachi's attention, he rose an eyebrow. He had only seen one girl with a hair colour as exotic as that, and her name was Sakura Haruno from Leaf. What would someone from Leaf be doing in the Akatsuki's base? Well, besides him of course. Kisame didn't give it much thought. He hadn't recogized her as Sakura Haruno, and assumed that it was probably some whore Deidara decided to bring home.
When Sakura turned around to see who had entered, she immediately froze. What was going to happen now? She hadn't thought about what she'd do if she came face to face with the other Akatsuki. She knew it was going to happen at one point, but she didn't think it would have been so soon. "Cute whore you've got here, Deidara, mind if I borrow her for a couple of seconds?" Kisame asked, giving him a toothy grin. Sakura gritted her teeth, and at the moment Itachi was completely forgotten.
"I'm not some whore, fish-face. I'm joining Akatsuki." She muttered- she couldn't stand being called a whore. Kisame's grin widened even more at her answer. Nobody ever talked back to him and lived to tell about it. Well, other than the Akatsuki. He found that it was amusing, really. He chuckled, asking what her name was and why she even wanted to join. Akatsuki wasn't a club just anybody could join. The members had to be strong, powerful. They had to be capable of handling anything.
"Sakura Haruno, and uh... Because there's nothing for me in Konoha." Sakura replied, though hesitant on the last part. She wasn't exactly sure how to word it and decided to give Kisame the same answer she had given Sasori. She doubted he would press in on the subject, anyways. She knew he wasn't from Konoha, so it really wasn't any of his business to know, anyways.
Kisame's eyes widened. Sakura Haruno? He hadn't recognized the girl- the last time he'd seen her was when she was smaller, younger. His grin didn't fade as he noticed how much the girl had grown. He figured it wouldn't be too bad having a girl around the Akatsuki other than Konan. He could've sworn that the blue-haired origami specialist was screwing Leader-sama behind their backs- not that he'd actually try asking, of course.
Although Kisame knew he didn't need to know, he couldn't help but wonder shy this girl, of all people, wished to join Akatsuki? She had heard about her many times- great medic, Hokage's apprentice. In all, she was a successful ninja, loyal to Konoha. It sounded as if she were happy in her village, so why leave now? She had said that there was nothing for her in Konoha, though, and Kisame wondered what it was. It had to be big. It must have been something huge that happened in Konoha to make the little spitfire leave and betray them to join the Akatsuki.
"Haruno. Why do you have the Sharingan?" Itachi asked, coolly. He knew she didn't have one before- somebody must have given it to her. Perhaps it was his brother- no. He'd never give up his Sharingan. He needed it to beat Itachi. Itachi watched as Sakura bit her lip, trying to think of a suitable answer. He couldn't think of anybody else with the Sharing- How could have forgotten? The copy-nin. Hatake Kakashi. But why would he give it to her of all people?
"I... I... I took it from Kakashi." Sakura replied. She was a terrible liar, but this wasn't a complete fib. She did, in fact, take the Sharingan from Kakashi, but only because it was his deathwish. The thought of Kakashi made Sakura's eyes water slightly- she still missed them greatly. She hadn't completely moved on, and she was afraid that she never would. Her thoughts were always everywhere lately, conflicting with one another. She figured she'd just have to go along with everything until she could think clearly again.
Itachi nodded, though not fully believing her. He'd get his answers eventually. He always did. Sakura watched as he simply walked away, and she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. Was she really that nervous? She looked up at Kisame, who was still grinning. His teeth were pointy and sharp, and Sakura shuddered, imagining what it would be like had he chomped an arm off of her body.
"Are you scared, kunoichi?" Kisame asked, and he felt like chuckling when the girl narrowed her eyes in genuine anger. Her pride wouldn't let her admit she was scared. Sakura growled a stubborn no- she really wasn't scared. She may not want to die, but she wasn't scared of death. Intimidated, maybe, but not scared. She glared up at him, defiance clearly etched into her expression.
Was she brave? Or was she stupid? Kisame wondered. Probably both, but that didn't matter. She was amusing, and he had a feeling the girl would make an interesting addition to the Akatsuki. "You should be." He replied, and Sakura scoffed. Kisame rose an eyebrow- had she really...? He grinned again- he decided he liked her already. He started chuckling as he headed towards his room. After sniffing himself slightly, he decided that he needed to shower badly.
Deidara stood there gaping. He couldn't believe it- the girl had already received Kisame's approval without even knowing it. This day was turning out so... So unexpected. "Sakura-chan, why did you take the Sharingan? You're not an Uchiha, so how would you learn to use it?" Tobi asked, curious. Sakura bit her lip again, looking off to the side. She decided to shrug, saying that she simply wanted to take it and that she already had a basic idea of how it worked. She had, after all, been Kakashi's student and teammate. She'd seen him use it countless times, and had healed it, too.
"I see, but could you excuse me, Sakura-chan? Tobi really needs to go to the washroom!" Tobi exclaimed, standing up and rushing down the hallway. Sakura nodded, keeping her eyes glued on the television. She was already getting used to the place- it wasn't too bad. The only problem was warming up to the other Akatsuki. Her loyalty would be proven soon enough, so she didn't bother worrying about that issue, much.
She had learned about the other members of the Akatsuki in the past. They were probably in every bingo book written. She couldn't remember all their names, but she knew they were all very dangerous. They had been on a down-low before and during the huge battle between Sound and Leaf. In fact, the war was pretty down-low as well. No other villages besides Sound, Suna, and Konoha knew what was going on.
It was no surprise that the other Akatsuki haven't figured out what had happened and were wondering why she was even there. She had seen the confusion and curiosity in both Itachi and Kisame's eyes. She had a rough idea about what their thoughts probably were at the time. Deidara, deciding he wanted to watch TV too, sat down where Tobi had, beside Sakura.
"What are you watching, yeah?"
Tobi looked back to see if either Deidara or Sakura was watching him and instead of heading into the washroom, he quietly slipped into the room where Pein currently was. The overly cheerful and hyperactive Tobi that had existed just a couple of moments before had disappeared in just a second. In his place, was Madara Uchiha, leader and founder of the Akatsuki.
"It's almost time." Madara exclaimed behind his spiraled mask. He grinned to himself, knowing fully well that Pein couldn't see. His plan had gotten a lot easier. He had known about the war between Sound and Konoha, and he had known about the outcome. The other members had absolutely no clue, and it was going to stay like that for a while longer.
When the time came, everybody would know what to do. Madara smirked to himself- the whole world would soon be his. After all these years of careful and detailed planning, it was only starting to unfold! He couldn't let it in on the other members, though. He couldn't depend on them fully- they might, and most likely would, screw everything up. They had already lost their chance in getting Kyuubi.
For the moment being, he would have to act as the fun-loving idiot, Tobi. But that wasn't too hard. He'd been doing it for years, now. Besides, after his plan was finished, he wouldn't need to pretend anymore. It was only a matter of time before it happened. "How much longer will the preparations take?" Madara asked, his voice low.
"Two months is the longest, Madara-sama." Pein replied. Madara-sama. The true leader and founder of the Akatsuki. He wouldn't be able to stand a chance if he were to fight against this powerful man. None of the other Akatsuki could, not even Itachi, one of the strongest members. He fought the urge to smirk- he knew about Madara's plan. Not only was he a madman, but he was also genius.
Deidara glanced at Sakura through the corner of his eye. The pink haired girl kept snoozing off, and then jerking back up as if she was trying to fight her urge to sleep. Needless to say, it was quite amusing. He glanced back at the television for a moment- nothing interesting. Suddenly a small snort-like sound was heard, and he immediately turned to see Kisame, snickering at the sight of the exhausted Sakura.
Kisame watched as she continued to drift off, and then force herself awake. He was quite surprised the girl wasn't on alert, and that she trusted everybody enough to not harm her. Well, it was either that, or she was incredibly stupid, but from what he could tell, it was most likely the first. She seemed to be exhausted, though she was trying to fight the rest she obviously needed. He felt like scoffing- some medic.
Sakura hadn't heard Kisame snort, and she eventually gave in to the urge and closed her eyes. After a couple of seconds, her breathing evened out, and she was completely relaxed, her head resting on her chest. "I think somebody needs some sleep." Kisame exclaimed, walking over to both Deidara and Sakura. "Who's room is she staying in?" He asked, about to pick her up and bring her to his. Contrary to popular belief, Kisame was not completely heartless. Besides, it would've been funny as hell seeing her scream when she woke up next to him the next morning.
"Mine." Deidara immediately replied, and Kisame rose a brow. That was quicker than expected. Before he could make a smart comment about it, Deidara opened his mouth, saying, "You'd probably try to rape her or something." He smirked at Kisame's disgusted expression. Deidara was only joking around- sometimes it was funny pissing Kisame off. He made sure not to do it too often, though. He still had Samehada, after all.
"I'm not that evil, Deidara." Kisame replied, waving him off as he turned to head back to his room. "Heh, do whatever you want with her." He muttered before walking away. Deidara scoffed, it's not like he would try anything perverted or anything. He just wasn't that type of guy. Joking around, that was fine. Sexual harassment? He'd rather not. Not unless it was necessary in a mission, anyways. He sighed as he got off the couch and bent down to lift Sakura up.
He brought her into his room, careful not to wake her up. "You better be thankful when you wake up, yeah." He muttered, knowing she couldn't hear him say it. He carefully laid her on one side of the bed, and placed her stuff on the ground beside it. He headed over to the washroom to get himself ready to sleep, and then slid into the sheets beside her.
He stared blankly at the ceiling, even though the room was pretty dark and he couldn't really see it. He wondered what it was going to be like now that Sakura had joined the Akatsuki. Suddenly she shifted towards him, snuggling into his warmth. Deidara smirked at the thought of him telling her that she had willingly snuggled up against him last night. It was fun teasing the poor girl.
He heard her whimper slightly and he felt a slight pang in his chest. She was having another nightmare. She looked so vulnerable, so helpless. Something inside of him ached. On instinct, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him slightly. She snuggled into him some more and he immediately regretted placing the arm around her. He started to wonder exactly what he was getting himself into.
He had always denied intimate gestures such as this, but as he watched Sakura's face contort in pain, he felt somewhat needed. When she whimpered and pressed herself closer to him, it seemed as if she needed his comfort to make her feel better. Never in his life had he ever felt needed in that way. It gave him a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach, that he wouldn't really describe as 'unpleasant'.
When he really thought about it, he couldn't deny the fact that he liked their current position. He had forgotten what it was like to hold someone so intimately. He hadn't felt this type of human contact in years, and now, as he was holding Sakura, he realized he'd missed it. The skin against skin. He had been craving it without even knowing, and had been denying the fact for quite some time.
Deidara wanted to let out an exasperated groan. He wasn't supposed to be like this, like an emotional twit. Ninjas did not have any emotion. He tightened his hold slightly on Sakura subconsciously- the girl was making him soft, and from the strange feeling in his gut, he wasn't sure if it was either a good or bad thing. A part of him told him that he couldn't get attached to her, that he needed to isolate himself and make sure he didn't touch her anymore.
Another part told him that this was what he needed. After years of being alone, of trying to deny his emotions and everything that made him human, this girl was the perfect opportunity to bring it back and make everything right. That part of him told him that if he did everything correctly, he could get her to become attached to him as well. Then he would be able to hold her all the time. It wasn't that bad of an idea.
He inwardly sighed to himself. Deidara knew that he was emotionally unstable. The only time he had ever experienced love and affection was when he was still a child with his parents. Once he had grown up and joined the Akatsuki, all of that was 'forgotten'. As a ninja, he was taught that affection and overwhelming emotions were deadly and would get you killed in an instant. After being deprived of it for so long, he could say he was pretty emotionally fucked up.
Being in the Akatsuki could do that. He knew he was deprived of love, of care and feeling, and had tried to convince himself he never needed it. Even in his home country, he had always been rejected. Alone to fend for himself. All by himself. He always had been, hadn't he? And now, with a girl just comfortably lying there in his arms, without a care in the world- he liked it. It was something he had never been able to experience when he was younger, and he knew he needed it, even if it was for only a little bit.
He wouldn't go as far as to rape her- oh no. He couldn't bring himself to do that to a girl. Killing and blowing things up was what he was fine with. It was, after all, what his hands were made for. He knew his sense of right and wrong was fucked up, but he couldn't bring himself to actually touch a girl that way. Besides, he had been 'convinced' that he didn't need it in the first place. The word 'innocent' popped into his head, but that wasn't the best word to describe him. He was far from it, in fact.
Deidara didn't have any problems with emotions itself, but rather expressing them- well, certain ones. Anger, impatience- emotions like those were easy, and he was used to them. When it came to anything even remotely related to love, he was rendered completely hopeless. Everything was so complicated, and he didn't have any experience whatsoever in that area.
Deidara buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. Holding Sakura like this... It soothed him. It calmed him down. Upon realizing the fact, he decided that he wanted it. He wanted to be able to hold someone, to feel someone else's skin against his, to be able to share their warmth. He wanted to touch. He wanted to feel. And although it was dangerous, and risky, and to many others- extremely stupid, he was willing to take the chances.
He was going to make sure Sakura was attached to him. He was going to make sure that he would be able to hold her at night, and feel her skin, feel her warmth. He wasn't going to share, either. She was going to be all his. He couldn't risk letting her get attached with anybody else. If he lost her... If he lost the touch, the feeling- no. He wouldn't let it happen. He couldn't. Now that it was so close, he couldn't lose it.
But the others couldn't know about his plan. He would have to hide it from Tobi, and Leader-sama. He couldn't let Itachi or Kisame or anybody else know, either. He couldn't be seen as soft. Soft was weak, and Akatsuki couldn't be weak. Of course not! He had to be strong to survive. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought and confusion. Did it mean this girl made him weak?
He mentally shook his head. It was something all humans needed, so it couldn't have meant he was weak. If he was really strong, he'd be able to persevere. Deidara felt like scoffing at himself- he was pathetic for depending on a girl like this. But he couldn't help it. All humans needed contact. All humans had emotion, needs- touch was definitely one of those needs. And to Deidara, that need hadn't been met properly- not until now.
He hated to admit it, but now he had fully convinced himself he needed the girl, and the only way he was going to be able to keep her was if she needed him, too. He felt like cursing- it was going to be hard. She was obviously upset about something, but he still didn't know what. Not only that, but he was already emotionally and socially challenged. He didn't know how to deal with females.
But he had to try. He didn't want to lose the feeling just yet.
Sakura woke up with a long yawn- hadn't she been watching television? She opened her eyes slightly and was surprised to find that she was pressed up to Deidara, whose arm was wrapped around her waist. "Deidara?" She asked, and was only greeted with a grunt as he tightened his hold and buried his head even more into her hair.
Sakura blushed lightly- she wasn't used to this kind of contact with guys. Sakura tried moving his arm off, but his hold was strong. Sakura figured he must still be asleep- he couldn't have actually been willing to hold her that close. It was Deidara, after all. An Akatsuki- she couldn't really say anything. It seemed too hypocritical. After all, she was almost part of the organization as well.
She let out a sigh. She was still upset about all her friends' deaths, but Deidara and the others... She wasn't really alone anymore, right? Sakura didn't want to get her hopes up too high, or become too attached to them, but she knew that she needed at least one person to become familiar with. She was never the fully independant type. She sighed, wondering who would be most willing to play the part of her 'friend'.
Deidara, maybe? He had been nice enough to carry her to his room, and she wasn't actually violated in any way- but then again, he was probably ordered to do so and after he had fallen asleep, he must have unconsciously started hugging her. There was always Tobi, too. Yeah. He was so child-like, and very sweet and not really that intimidating, especially since she knew she was on his side.
"Deidara? Are you awake?" She asked, but his even breathing was the reply. She was starting to get annoyed, now. That was a good sign, she figured- she was actually starting to feel more like herself, now. "Get off me." She murmured, carefully prying his arm off of her waist. She eventually succeeded, much to Deidara's dismay. He hadn't actually been sleeping.
She got up, and immediately felt chilly. It had been quite warm being snuggled up to Deidara like that, but she wasn't really comfortable being that close with someone she was supposed to loathe only weeks before. She sighed, looking around for her belongings. They were supposed to head on a mission today to kill the Mizukage's daughter. It was an important mission for her, one that would determine whether or not she was worthy of becoming an Akatsuki member.
She found it by the bedside and looked through it, mentally thanking Deidara for not touching anything. She wondered what she was going to need- the trip to the Mizukage was probably going to be a couple of days at the most. "What do you think you're doing?" Deidara exclaimed, making Sakura jump slightly. She clutched her chest- she hadn't heard him wake up.
"I was just packing." Sakura replied, digging through her bag. She felt the tips of the two pictures, but decided she shouldn't take it out just yet. Deidara was there, and she didn't want to have to deal with all his questions. It's not like he cared, anyways- none of them did, Sakura thought, with some disappointment. Was she ever going to become close with someone ever again?
She missed Tsunade and Shizune back in Konoha, but she'd never be able to face them again. She couldn't. After all, out of everybody, only she had survived. Was it a sign of strength? Not to Sakura. It was one of the ultimate signs of weakness. She wasn't able to protect her friends, her loved ones. Instead, it was a sign that she had to be protected. She couldn't face Tsunade knowing that.
"Well hurry it up, we're leaving right after we eat." Deidara exclaimed, getting up and heading to the bathroom to shower. Sakura nodded her head- she didn't have any more things to pack so she decided to go to the kitchen and eat instead of sitting on the bed waiting for Deidara to finish his shower. She tied up her hair, noting the fact that it was all tangly and wiry after travelling so much yesterday. She definitely needed a shower.
"Sakura-chan!" Tobi exclaimed, bounding up to her as she entered the kitchen. "What would you like to eat for breakfast?" He asked, and Sakura shook her head, saying that he didn't need to trouble himself with it and that she'd be able to make it herself. "Tobi doesn't mind cooking for Sakura-chan!" He replied, and Sakura giggled, saying that she was just going to go make a sandwich again. "Alrighty, then! Tobi will make a yummy sandiwch for Sakura-chan."
"Thanks Tobi." Sakura replied, a grin on her face. She had to admit, it was a nice way to start the morning. She sat down on the dining table, waiting for her sandwich to be made. She was still surprised that the Akatsuki base was so... homey. A television, a kitchen, their own rooms- who would have guessed? She had always pictured it to be like that one time, during the fight with Sasori. Where everywhere she looked was just stone and earth. Something like that seemed more fitting for a widely known gang of criminals, instead of the one she was currently in.
A couple of minutes passed by, and Sakura could hear Tobi humming as he continued to make his sandwich. Suddenly a grumble was heard and a white haired man came in and sat down beside her. "Tobi, get me some food!" He ordered. He hadn't acknowledged me yet, but from his white hair and violet eyes, I assumed this man must be Hidan. I've heard he was very religious.
"Okay!" Tobi exclaimed from the kitchen, as happy and cheerful as ever. Sakura watched quietly as a couple more Akatsuki came in and sat around the table. Kisame, Itachi, and Sasori. She felt uncomfortable sitting there with them, and shrank back in her chair, trying not to bring attention to herself. She could feel their eyes boring holes at her, and she wanted to scream at them to stop.
"Who the fuck are you?" Hidan asked, looking at Sakura. Sakura glared at him, but told him her name, anyways. "What are you here, for?" He asked, but just as Sakura opened her mouth to reply, he continued on, "Has Deidara finally decide to bring back a whore? I don't understand you idiots and your perverted urges. Jashin-sama will damn you all to hell, one day."
Sakura clenched her fist- why did everybody assume she was a whore? "No, I'm not Deidara's whore. I'm here to join the Akatsuki." Sakura muttered. She was tempted to add 'dumbass' but decided that it probably wasn't the best idea if she wanted to join the Akatsuki without any problems. Hidan stared at her and suddenly burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Sakura asked, glaring at him.
"You? A scrawny, weak-looking, pink-haired girl like you joining Akatsuki? That's fucking hilarious." Hidan exclaimed, laughing still. A small cough was heard, and Sakura looked over at the source of the noise. To her surprise, it was Kisame, and he was... He was trying not to laugh. 'Why didn't any of them take her seriously?' She thought crossly to herself as she crossed my arms over her chest and sat there, glaring at the two. This only caused Hidan to laugh harder, and Sakura growled in anger.
"I'm not weak." Sakura replied, and Hidan stopped laughing long enough to tell her to prove it. An idea formed in her head, and she fought the urge to smirk. "Alright, I will." Sakura muttered darkly. She channelled some chakra into her hand, but suddenly something grabbed her arm. Sakura turned around to find Deidara, tsking at her. Sakura glared at him for interrupting her demonstration.
"There's not need for that, yeah." Deidara exclaimed, and Sakura huffed. "He can't die, anyways." He continued, and Sakura's eyes widened. She wouldn't be surprised if it was actually true from all the stories she'd heard about him. That was pretty insane. She looked at Hidan as if he had grown two heads, and by instinct she inched slightly away from him. Hidan stopped laughing to look at her, obviously irritated at her reaction. "I guess I might as well have let you hit him, yeah." Deidara thought aloud.
"Yeah, you should have." Sakura mumbled, but she willed the chakra in her hand to disperse. Deidara chuckled, the girl was pretty funny. Hidan didn't seem to amused by it, and was about to open his mouth to say something, when a sandwich came flying over his and hit Deidara smack in the face. Sakura covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing when Deidara turned angrily at the direction where the sandwich came from.
"Tobi..." Deidara growled, and Tobi, who had accidentally tripped and was currently sprawled on the ground, was now scrambling to get up. "I'm going to kill you, yeah!"
End of chapter! I hope you enjoyed it.
Please review! It's honestly depressing looking at my stats. Reviews: 2 Hits: 200. Okay, so I'm exaggerating it slightly, but it's not that far off. Eheheh, people obviously don't like the story. Comment on how I can do better, please?