Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the other characters and such.

Ack. I looked back and realized I did a crappy job of looking over the past chapters before posting them up. I hope you guys could understand them, anyways. Oh, and sorry for not updating fast enough. Not enough drive to write and not enough ideas. Also, there's school! Eheh.

"Are we almost there?" Sakura asked, as she and Deidara hopped from branch to branch. They had left the base a couple of days ago, and were supposed to be at their destination any time, now. Deidara nodded his head, muttering a quick 'yeah' as they continued their journey. Sakura sighed in exasperation- she was getting bored and she just wanted to get the mission done and over with.

"You said that half an hour ago when I asked." Sakura muttered under her breath. Deidara heard her and rolled his eyes, deciding to simply ignore her. She was being slightly annoying, but he understood why. The trip there was taking longer than expected. "Hey, is that the place?" Sakura asked, sounding more eager. Deidara looked up to where she was directing at and nodded- finally!

The two henged, changing their appearances to look like the mere villagers that inhabited the place. They passed the guards easily, saying that they were nothing more than newly weds looking for a place to settle down. Once they had gotten to a secluded area, the two dispersed the henges. "Do you know where the target is?" Sakura asked.

"Of course I do, yeah." He replied, taking out a large, but extremely old-looking map of the village. Sakura mentally sweatdropped- the village must have changed a lot by now. The map looked as if it were written at least twenty years ago, for goodness sake! "I'm pretty sure this is the target's house." He said, pointing to an area on the map. He took out another old-looking paper, except this time it was a blueprint with a messily written label that said 'Mizukage's House'.

She studied it carefully, taking note of which room Deidara had pointed to. It would be somewhat hard trying to gain access into such a heavily secured building. It was extremely large as well, and there was a chance they could get lost in its many hallways- especially if the building had changed since then. "We'll enter through here." Deidara muttered, pointing at a spot where a window was supposed to be.

He explained their movements, how they were going to get into the target's bedroom and what they would do once they got there, and Sakura memorized everything he told her. It was a fairly simple sounding mission. All they had to do was get in, asassinate the target, and get out. It was nothing Sakura couldn't handle, she figured. Once everything was clear, they headed out.

"Who's there?"

Sakura silently stepped behind the guard, knocking him out with a quick hit on his pressure point. Sakura carefully lowered him to the ground, making sure there was as little noise and shuffling as possible. She could have killed him easily, but as a medic-nin, she would have rather let him live instead. She had seen families after families mourn over their lost ones. Each time she had to tell the victim's family the bad news, it kept getting harder to watch as they almost immediately burst into tears and collapsed. Some simply stood there in shock, unable to believe what was told to them.

She quietly, and as gracefully as she could, moved down the hall towards their target's bedroom. She sighed mentally- the Mizukage's daughter was probably an innocent person. She probably had nothing to do with anything except for the fact she was the daughter of one of the most powerful men on Earth. She wondered where Deidara was- they were supposed to meet up anytime now to finish the job, once and for all.

She soon found herself standing before the target's door- she could hear her even breathing and her even pulse. Luckily the girl was asleep. She wouldn't have to die struggling- instead, she'd be dying in her sleep. It was something almost unheard of for shinobi, who usually died in action before the age forty.

She quietly crept into the dark room. There were no lights on, but with her training, she was able to hear exactly where the girl lay. She slowly made her way towards the target's direction, cautious as to not hit or knock anything over. One wrong move and the girl could wake- of course, it wouldn't really matter. She would have to die either way, it's just that the guards would probably come rushing over and make it hard for her and Deidara to escape.

With a silent apology, Sakura placed her hand on the girl's neck. She used her chakra to travel into her body and slice right through, killing the girl instantly. She sighed inwardly- her mission was completed. She truly felt sorry for the girl she had just killed- she barely had any time to live. Suddenly she heard a few quiet foodsteps heading towards her direction.

She immediately froze- the room was still dark, and if anybody looked inside, they wouldn't be able to see her unless they had some kind of bloodline limit, of course. The foosteps became louder as they neared, and she silently begged that it was Deidara walking towards the room. She didn't want to get caught, not now! Suddenly the footsteps stopped, and a small creak of the door being closed was heard. Sakura knew the person was standing at the doorway and that she was basically trapped.

'Shit, shit, shit,' Sakura mentally cursed to herself. 'Don't turn on the lights, don't turn on the lights, don't turn on-' The flick of a switch was heard and the room was illuminated as the electricity came rushing into the lightbulb. Sakura's eyes immediately adjusted to the sudden brightness, thanks to her medical skills, and she immediately lunged at intruder, only to stop and realize that the intruder was merely Deidara, after all.

"Don't surprise me like that!" Sakura hissed quietly, folding her arms angrily. Deidara merely shrugged, then looked over at the corpse and nodded his head in approval. "And what do you think you're doing, turning the lights on like this? What if somebody heard you coming here and decides to check it out?" Sakura whispered, her tone harsh.

"Calm down, yeah! I didn't mean to surprise you like that! What kind of a ninja lets her guard down like that, anyways?!" Deidara hissed back, obviously irritated at the 'greeting' she had given him. The stupid girl was acting like such a brat! Who did she think she was, talking to him like that? He watched as she rolled her eyes at him and turn around to see her work. Deidara clenched his fists in fury. "Did you just roll your-"

"Oh god."

Sakura took a step back in complete horror.

Deidara gave her a curious look as to why she was acting like this.

The girl she had killed looked like another replica of Ino. Her gorgeous blonde hair, splayed around her face. And her beautiful blue eyes- oh, her eyes! They were the exact same shade as Ino's. Sakura covered her mouth as the tears clouded her vision. She could still see the girl's eyes. They were glazed over, completely lifeless. Sakura stifled back a sob.

"Sakura?" Deidara asked in concern, but was ignored. Sakura couldn't hear or feel or think of anything besides Ino. She could picture her best friend clearly in her mind. Flashes of memories shone before her- the special ribbon,the academy, the chuunin exams, becoming friends again, and then that day. The war with Sound- her piercing scream and her fallen body, covered in fresh and dried blood.

"I killed her." Sakura whispered in disbelief. She could barely believe it as she walked closer to the body. "I killed Ino." She stated, reaching out her shaking hand to brush some stray strands of the hair away. "I... I killed her." She stated again, her arm falling loosely at her side. Knees started shaking as she grabbed a fistful of her hair. "It's all my fault." She whimpered, this time collapsing on the floor.

Deidara was immediately at her side. "Sakura, are you okay?" He asked, gathering the broken girl in his arms. She simply shook her head, unable to say anything. Deidara, unsure of what to do decided to wrap his arms around the girl in a consoling hug. He didn't have much experience with comforting others- he never really had to.

Who was this Ino person, anyways? He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. They had looked up some information on the jinchuuriki's teammates and friends a couple of weeks ago- if only he could remember! Ino... Nara? Akimichi? No... It started with a 'Y'... Yamanaka? That was it! Blonde hair, blue eyes- the girl with that strange mind switching technique! Deidara remembered her, now. Kisame had stated that she looked a great deal like him, that they could pass off as siblings. He rolled his eyes at the thought. He was much better looking than the girl!

He shook his head. Now was not the time to be thinking of insignificant things such as appearance.

Now that he thought of it, though, the girl Ino held a great resemblance to their target. The same eyes, hair- and even their face shape looked similar! He looked down at the girl cradled in his arms and came to the conclusion that Sakura and Ino must have been quite close. He was still slightly confused- why would she break like this? She may look like her friend, but if she was still in Konoha then Sakura would have no problem with-

That was it! Ino must have left, or died or something like that! If Sakura knew that the blonde chick had been safe in Konoha, she wouldn't have reacted like this. Even if she had abandoned Konoha on her free will and missed her this much, she still wouldn't have cracked. Not like this, anyways. Deidara was now more curious than ever about what happened to Sakura.

"Tenshi, it's okay." He murmured into her ear. He didn't know what else to say, so he decided to whispering little nothings into her ear. "Everything's going to be alright, yeah." He continued on, and Sakura shook her head. Things were never going to be alright! Not after the war, not after they all left her. Sakura covered her mouth as she let out a sob. "Sakura, d-"

"Who's there?"

Deidara froze, his hold on Sakura tightening. "Reveal yourself now, intruder!" The voice demanded, and a couple of footsteps were heard. From the sound of it, there were at least six people a couple of hallways away from the room they currently resided in. The voices were faint, and Deidara figured they still had quite a bit of time before they were found. "You're surrounded! Reveal yourself now if you know what's good for you!"

Deidara rolled his eyes- he wasn't planning on dying today. "Sakura," He whispered into her ear. "We have to leave, now! Get up." He ordered softly, letting go of her to stand up himself. When Sakura simply sat there, he became slightly irritated. What was her problem? The guards were here, and they had them surrounded! Did she really want to put up with them and waste the extra energy that could be used for getting back to the base faster? He hated it here in this crappy village!

"You go." Sakura murmured, her voice no louder than a whisper. Deidara rose an eyebrow. Was she crazy? "You go," She repeated again, "And just let them kill me." Sakura replied, her voice cracking as she said the words. She had just committed a horrible deed, something completely unforgivable. She deserved to die. She deserved to die the most painful of deaths! Besides, what would Deidara care if he left her? She was probably only a burden to him, and in the end it would probably be her fault he'd be killed! He should just leave her, like all the others d-

"No."

Sakura's eyes widened. What did he say? "B-but-"

"I said no, Sakura. You're coming with me." Deidara exclaimed with finality. He refused to let her get killed so easily. Sakura looked up at him with a confused expression, and Deidara simply rolled his eyes again. "Look, we don't have much time. Get up." Deidara ordered, but Sakura stubbornly stayed down, causing Deidara to sigh in exasperation. This girl was being impossible!

The guards were coming, now. Deidara could hear their footsteps coming closer. He sighed, and bent down on a knee in front of Sakura. She looked down, but Deidara tilted her head up to look at him. She had a defiant expression on her face, but her eyes told a different story. It was the same look as when he found her sitting underneath the tree with the kunai held right against her neck. He gritted his teeth. She should never have to be this way.

If she wasn't going to come willingly, then he'd just have to force her. If only he could knock her out without injuring her too badly or at all. He could always hit a pressure point- but she was a medic-nin and a capable kunoichi. He'd need a distraction, but what? He pursed his lips for a moment and an idea struck him! He hid his smirk as he looked Sakura in the eye, watching as confusion flitted across her features before he dipped his head and captured her lips in a deep kiss.

Sakura's eyes widened even more, but before a single thought was able to run through her mind, she felt her pressure point being hit and all consciousness suddenly escaped her. Deidara watched her eyes close, very pleased with his work. He took out some clay and created an enlarged bird before setting Sakura upon it. He sat up behind her and took out another one of his sculptures, detonating it as soon as it touched the wall. The window hadn't been large enough for them to fit through, so he figured he had to make his own.

"Alert the Mizukage immediately!" The main guard yelled as soon as he and his troops ran to the room, only to see a bird flying away in the far distance. He felt like groaning. It was a completely ordinary sight, and that's what bothered him. The guards searched the area of the explosion, desperately trying to find any evidence of the murderer. How could they have escaped so fast? And who could the murderer possibly be? "The Mizukage is not going to like this." A guard muttered to himself as he finished checking the girl's pulse.

"What... What happened?" Sakura asked, groggily. She opened her eyes, and tried to lift herself up, only to fall back down because of her terrible headache. She could barely think clearly with her head in such pain! She immediately sent up some chakra to relieve the pain and calm herself down. Deidara sure had some explaini- Deidara!

Everything suddenly came back to her. The mission, the Ino look-a-like, her deathwish, and his kiss. Oh god, he had kissed her! And for what? Sakura clenched her fists. He had purposely kissed her as a distraction, just so he had an opportunity to knock her out unconscious. She tried to force her blush away. "You awake already? That chunk of wall hit you pretty hard. Sorry about that, yeah." Deidara asked, turning his head around to see the girl.

Sakura merely glared at him, crossing her arms in an irritated manner. "What's wrong now, yeah?" Deidara asked, staring at her with one risen eyebrow. Sakura's fought the urge to gape at him. He didn't remember? Sakura felt her cheeks heating up and that's when Deidara recalled the kiss. "Look, I'm sorry I had to do that, yeah. It was the only thing I could think of at the moment, and besides, it worked, didn't it?"

Sakura didn't answer but continued to glare at him some more. The only thing he could think of? Bullshit. He could've just left her there like she fucking asked! Sakura was completely pissed off, now. She really wished it was Tobi with her instead of Deidara. At least Tobi was fun being around and he never tried fucking with her emotions before- as if they weren't already screwed up! She was still a wreck inside, still somewhat confused and grieving about her losses.

"I said I was sorry, yeah! I couldn't just leave you. I'm not that heartless, yeah, so you don't have any reason to be mad at me." Deidara stated. Sakura rolled her eyes at his words- she didn't believe his reasoning. She looked around at her surroundings- she was lying inside a tent, and outside she could hear the fire crackling. Camp? He had made camp? Whoa. She wondered how long she had been unconscious for, and where they were now.

Sakura glared up at him, but Deidara couldn't make sense of what was bothering her. Why was she mad at him? There was absolutely no reason she should have been! He had done what he had to do in order to keep them both safe. "I'm starting to really get sick of you being so unreasonably angry and depressed, yeah." Deidara stated, glaring slightly at Sakura, who fumed. Sick of her being depressed? Who did he think he was?

"Excuse me?" She hissed, sounding no less furious than she really was. She had lost so much, and even when she had somehow convinced herself she was over it and moved on, she suddenly breaks down at the sight of their target, who just so happened to look like one of her close friends. After remembering her scream, and her lifeless body mangled on the ground- who wouldn't feel worse? She wasn't the one being unreasonable- he was! "You have no idea what I've been through!"

"Suck it up! You're not the only one who lost a couple of friends! We're ninja, yeah. It's bound to happen so jus-"

"Shut up." Sakura interrupted, her face reddened and her fists clenched. Someone like him could never understand. He had abandoned his village, his friends, and family willingly- well from what the bingo book said. She hadn't abandoned her village like that- quite the contrary, really. They had left her. She was the last one alive. Deidara couldn't understand her position! He had no right to lecture her about her behaviour, about being a ninja. She had trained under one of the greatest out there, who was he to tell her different?

"No. I won't, yeah! Tobi and I have been nice to you, and hell, we even agreed on letting you join the Akatsuki! Can't you just get over yourself! Your problems probably don't even compare to what some of the guys' I know have been through! Whatever you're sulking about-"

Deidara lifted his hand toward his stinging cheek. Damn, that bitch slapped hard. He looked over at Sakura, about to yell at her for hitting him when he realized she was shaking and tears were sliding down her face. She looked up at him, fury, agony, and self-righteousness mixed into one expression.

"Shut up! You haven't lost everything- everybody you ever cared of!" Deidara's eyes widened. Everybody? She had to be exaggeratin-

"You weren't there when your best friends died, friends close enough to call family!" Deidara took a step closer, but she only backed away from him, tears still streaming down her face.

"You didn't hear their screams!" She choked back a sob, and Deidara took another small step towards her. She took another step back.

"You didn't watch as they fell to the ground dead!" She was shaking even more, and Deidara's frown deepened.

"You didn't have to wander around the bloody battleground, desperately trying to find someone, anyone you cared about." Sakura's knees buckled but Deidara was there to catch her.

"And when I did find them, I tried so hard to heal them, but I couldn't." She sobbed, now, clinging on to him as if her life depended on it. "They told me they loved me! Do you know how painful it was to hear them say it? Having them tell me to stop healing them and let them die? To move on with my life- and I can't! I tried, but then I saw that girl. She looked so much like her, and I just couldn't forgive myself for- I just- I let them down!" She was in hysterics, now, and Deidara could do nothing but listen as she poured everything out to him.

Deidara wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl, giving her comfort. "I wasn't strong enough to save any of them! I don't deserve to be alive and well and happy when they've all died! It's not fair! I should've died with them!" Deidara tightened his hold. He really had no idea how much this impacted the girl's life. Sure, he had friends and a couple of family, but he had never tried to create any close relationships. He had been too busy with his art to do any of that.

"I just can't... It's so hard. I've tried not to remember. I just... I had never felt so alone in my life than that day." The pain so evident in Sakura's voice tore at Deidara. Here he was, telling her to suck it up, to be a ninja when what he should have been encouraging her to be was human. She was a person who led her life by emotions- it was who she was, what got her working properly. She obviously needed time to heal before she could move on. He had no idea, and he felt extremely guilty for not even trying to understand what she was going through.

"I... I'm sorry, yeah."

"It wasn't your fault." Sakura replied, trying to suppress her crying but failing miserably. Deidara let go of Sakura for a second, only to sit down and pull the girl to him, cradling her on his lap. He could relate with feeling alone, when he lived as a terrorist for hire, travelling around all on his lonesome. It probably wasn't the same kind of loneliness Sakura felt, though. He had chosen to be alone, while Sakura was stripped from everyone she held dear.

He hadn't meant to make her feel upset. He sat there, watching as Sakura calmed herself down slowly. After about an hour, she was still hiccupping, but her tears had stopped and she wasn't shaking anymore. She looked up at him, then laid her head against his chest. "Deidara?..."

"Yeah, tenshi?"

"... Thanks."

He tightened his hold on her.

"Anytime, yeah."

"W-wait, what did you say?" Sakura asked, absolutely shocked. She couldn't believe her ears. After returning back to Akatsuki headquarters, she was immediately greeted with more bad news. It was unbelievable! What had she done that was so bad to deserve this?

"I will repeat myself only once more," Pein stated. "Unfortunately for our organization, Tobi ha-"

"Has gotten himself killed. Stupid fucker." Hidan exclaimed as he stepped into the office. Pein glared at him, obviously angered at being interrupted. "Why the fuck did you call me down?" He asked, rudely. Sakura and Pein decided to ignore him.

"Tobi's gone?" Sakura asked, though it was directed mostly at herself. She couldn't believe it- the only member of the Akatsuki she deemed nice enough to hang around with was gone! Pein nodded his head in confirmation to her question. Sakura ran a hand through her hair in frustration. Sure, Tobi was a little queer and childish at times, but at least he seemed like a decent human being!

"You are dismissed, Haruno." Pein said, and he swiftly turned his attention to Hidan, who was standing there wondering about Sakura's strange reaction. It's not like she even knew the guy well. Besides, Tobi was a complete crack-head. Why the fuck would she be sad? He figured it was the fault of how Konoha had taught their shinobi. They were all a bunch of emotional, sissy bastards.

Sakura left the office and made her way to the couch, where Deidara sat, staring blankly at the television. "Are you alright?" She asked, sitting beside him. He nodded slowly, not once taking his eyes off the TV. He couldn't believe annoying Tobi was really gone. He hadn't really meant all those death threats, and the bombs he threw at Tobi were never fatal. And sure, he really was the most annoying person he'd ever had the chance to meet, and that he wasn't even close to Sasori's standards, and he seemed to have the worst timing in the world...

The list could go on and on, but he really didn't mind the kid!

The two sat there for a couple of minutes, both staring at the television that wasn't turned on. It's blank, empty screen stared back at them.

Deidara sighed. Sasori was probably going to be assigned as his partner, again. He wasn't going to start missions again until he had created his puppet body, but since Tobi was now dead... Deidara suppressed a sigh. He needed some time alone. "I'll be back, tenshi." He stated, before getting up and heading towards his room. Sakura watched him leave, and once he was gone, she sighed as well. Everybody around her kept dying. It was expected for one living the life of a ninja, sure, but it definitely didn't mean she would ever get used to it.

"What the fuck was all that about?"

Sakura jumped slightly, and swiveled her back around. She had to crane her neck up to see Hidan, standing over her. "What was what all about?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Don't play dumb with me, bitch. I heard him call you tenshi." Hidan said, a smirk playing on his lips. "Some slut just screwing around hardly sounds like an angel!" He said, laughing. "Are you fucking Deidara or something?" Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, Hidan had started talking again. "You are, aren't you! I knew you were a wh-"

He couldn't finish his sentence because Sakura had punched him in the gut, sending him stumbling back a couple feet back. She hadn't used chakra in that one, in case somebody sensed it. "What the fuck was that for? You little bitch." Hidan said, irritated. "That fucking hurt!"

"Good." Sakura gritted out. "And no, I am not fucking Deidara." This man was really pissing her off. Hidan suddenly grinned, asking if she wanted to take this outside. Sakura stood up in defiance and nodded her head.

"Bring it."

"You're going to regret this, bitch. Seriously." Hidan stated, leading her out of the base and into another secluded area. It was a small clearing, with trees growing along the border of the field. "No rules. Anything is allowed." Hidan exclaimed, licking his lips. He was going to enjoy this little spar. "You are so going down. Seriously."

"Hah, that's what you think." Sakura replied. Hidan laughed as she charged straight at him, her fists drawn and ready to punch the lights out of him- or so she thought. Didn't she know any better? What kind of approach was that? He effortlessly dodged the hit made towards him, but instead of pulling back like he thought she would, her fists came in contact with the ground he had just been standing on. The ground below him started to rumble and crack, and he was finding it difficult to keep his balance. He looked down at the ground he was standing on, steadying himself as it shook violently.

Needless to say, he was quite impressed. Sure, he heard those stupid rumors about her, but when had he ever believed in rumors in the first place? When he saw her, he was almost absolutely sure all those things said about her were total bullshit, but after witnessing such strength, all his doubts nearly vanished.

When he looked back up, Sakura was no longer seen. "Shit." He muttered, under his breath. He had definitely underestimated her. Who knew there was so much strength in that tiny body of hers? He whirled around, trying to see if he could spot her. Suddenly a hand shot beneath him, grabbing his ankle and pulling him down. Sakura emerged, pulling herself up as she looked down at him with victorious smirk plastered on her face.

"Was that all you've got?" Sakura teased. Suddenly Hidan disappeared, a log poofed in its place. Sakura's eyes widened. When had he-

"Got you, fucker!" Hidan exclaimed, tackling her to the ground from behind. She managed to turn around, but before she could shove him off, he had her arms pinned above her head. She tried using her legs to kick him off, but he pinned them down as well. This time he was the one smirking. "Give up?" Sakura struggled against him, but all efforts were futile. How could she have been so careless?

"No way!" Sakura exclaimed, chakra gathering into her fists once again. Hidan's smirk disappeared as she started to push against him. With a burst of strength, she managed to shove him off and jump back about five feet. "This isn't over just yet." She said, flexing her fingers. She waited for him to make a move, but he stood there, staring at her with a strange grin on his face.

She clasped her hands together, forming a quick seal, when Hidan decided to charge at her. He swiped at her with his scythe, and she dodged it- but barely. Her back hit a tree as she stumbled backwards, but her expression was fearless. Hidan kept running at her, swinging his scythe around wildly. Sakura jumped up, the blades of Hidan's weapon swiping cleanly through the tree. She was not intimidated in the least. She refused to show the slightest hint of fear.

"You can't just keep running, slut!" Hidan exclaimed in glee. He loved spars like this. Predator vs. Prey- and right now, he was the predator. He caught up to her, laughing the entire time, and slashed at her arm. He managed to cut her slightly. Just as he was about to pull back his weapon, Sakura disappeared in a puff of smoke. Hidan's laughter faded away at realizing he had been tricked with a mere clone. He frowned. "You stupid bitch! Show yourself, now!"

"You shouldn't be talking!" Sakura retorted. He was, after all, the one who hadn't noticed he was fighting a clone. She emerged from behind a tree, ready to attack on the other side of the clearing. He charged at her in fury, but when Sakura tried to take a step, she found that she couldn't. She looked down to see a pair of hands holding her feet down. One was black and the other was white.

Suddenly a plant-like thing started to emerge from the ground directly beneath her.

Sakura felt herself shudder once before she took in a deep breath and let out a terrified scream. Hidan, unsure of what was happening, stopped a couple feet away. "What the hell has gotten you so fucking scared? I charged at you earlier but you didn't even bat a fucking eyelash!"

Suddenly the hands let go of Sakura, and she tried to make a break for it, but Zetsu had already managed to fully emerge from the ground and had quickly wrapped his arms around her, locking her in place. Sakura simply froze- she was scared shitless. "Is this an intruder, Hidan?" The man asked, his voice sounding the least bit threatening. "If she is, I'll gladly dispose of her." He said again, though this time his voice had changed drastically. Sakura could've sworn he licked his lips.

She looked desperately at Hidan, who was smirking at her. Sakura's eyes widened when she realized what Hidan was going to say. "Well, I was just walking around when I saw this little bit-"

"Deidara!" Sakura exclaimed, seeing as he was jogging towards them. She felt a wave of relief wash over her savior came. She looked over at Hidan who was now looking irritated at having been interrupted. It's not like he was seriously going to tell Zetsu to dispose of her. He just wanted to scare her a little- to put her in place! Deidara had the worst timing.

"Zetsu, let go of her. She's going to be joining Akatsuki, yeah." Deidara stated, and Sakura felt Zetsu reluctantly let her go. She immediately ran towards Deidara, but a hand encircled her wrist and pulled her harshly into Hidan's hard chest. Zetsu, not wanting to get involved in such a strange sparring session, disappeared back into the ground.

"I didn't say we were finished, yet." Hidan said, his arm now at her waist. Deidara was fuming at the scene in front of him. Pein had sent him to fetch Sakura, but when he heard a large bang, he and had gone to check it out, only to find Sakura wrapped up in Zetsu's arms. And if that wasn't bad enough, now Hidan was all over her! She wasn't supposed to be touched by anybody else other than him!

"She's coming with me, yeah." Deidara exclaimed, forcefully grabbing the girl and tugging her to his chest. Hidan glared at him- why did he have to spoil his fun? Deidara glanced down at Sakura. "What are you're doing, anyways? He could've killed you, you know." He demanded. "I was worried that-" He caught himself before he could make a complete fool out of himself.

Sakura looked up at him, a sly smile on her face. "You were worried about me, Deidara?"

Deidara coughed, feeling his face heat up. "I was just about to say I was worried that Pein-sama was going to kill me for letting you get hurt." He finished, hoping that neither Hidan nor Sakura would notice his lying. Sakura's sly smile transformed into a genuine one as she felt her face heat up as well. It was plainly obvious that he was lying, and that he really had been worried about her safety.

"Bullshit!"

"Shut up, Hidan. Sakura, Pein-sama wants to talk to you, yeah." Deidara stated, gesturing her towards the direction of the base. She reluctantly left, but once she was out of sight, Deidara turned his attention back to Hidan in anger. "What the fuck do you think you're doing? You could've hurt her!"

"Why do you fucking care so much, eh, Deidara-kun?" Hidan retorted, with a mocking emphasis on the last part. Deidara turned away, unsure of how to answer him. He'd have to deny it- "And don't even try denying it. Seriously. I wasn't born yesterday, bitch."

Well, so much for denying it.

Deidara shrugged. "So what if I do, yeah? What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, I want her. Seriously. That bitch can pack a punch. Fuck, even Jashin approves! I'll just need to convince her to convert to Jashinism." Hidan said, smirking. "Besides, it's not as if she'd go for a guy girlier than her!"

"Piss off, yeah." Deidara replied, defensively. "And as if she'd go for some fucking lunatic like you, yeah." Hidan scoffed in reply, obviously sure of himself. Deidara glared at him, clenching his fists. "Whatever, yeah. I'm heading back."

Deidara turned around and started walking away when suddenly a rock hit the back of his head. He turned back around in anger, and opened his mouth to say something but Hidan simply ran past him. He turned to watch him leave, slightly confused at what was going on. "I'm going to get to her before you do!" Hidan exclaimed, cackling. "And I'll be sure to tell her that you're only being nice to her to get some action, girly man!"

"Oh no you don't." Deidara muttered, sprinting towards him. It didn't take that long, considering Hidan was lugging around that giant scythe of his. The two raced into headquarters, waiting outside of the office where Sakura was currently speaking with Pein. They each put an ear against the door, making sure their chakra was fully masked. Unfortunately, Sakura and Pein were speaking too low for even them to hear, but when Sakura's foosteps were nearing, the two ran to the couch and turned on the TV.

"You two are back already?" Sakura asked, as she stepped into the living room. The two were sitting at opposite ends of the couch, arguing over the remote. "Anyways, I have some good news- well, for me, anyways." She started, biting her lips to stop a grin from forming. Deidara let go of the remote and focused his attention to her. Hidan, however, rolled his eyes. Deidara was whipped. "I'm an official member of Akatsuki!" She exclaimed. Suddenly her grin weakened, and her eyebrows had furrowed downward. "Too bad Tobi wasn't here- he seemed really excited at the thought of me joining."

Deidara and Hidan noticed the immediate change in the mood, and decided it was smart to keep low and to not make any type of advances on her. "He would've been glad." Deidara murmured, and Sakura smiled weakly for him. She was still slightly sad for the loss of the ever cheerful, if not slightly hyperactive masked man. "And congratulations on making it, Sakura. I'm not surprised, yeah."

"Thanks, Deidara- anyhow, I'm a little hungry. Is there anything to eat here?" Sakura asked, changing the subject. She didn't want to talk about Tobi, or anything related to death at the moment. It was a time of celebration, after all. "Oh, and Hidan," She started. Hidan perked up slightly at his name being called. "Pein-sama requests your presence. He needs to talk to you about a mission, I think." Sakura finished. Hidan left, muttering curses under his breath. Sakura stepped out of his way as he stalked towards the office door.

Just before he entered the office, Hidan turned around and flipped off Deidara, who inwardly smirked. With Hidan out of the picture, he now had Sakura all to himself. "Now, where was I? Oh yeah, food." Sakura stated to herself. She started rummaging through the kitchen cabinets and the fridge, looking for something edible.

"Sakura," Deidara started, and Sakura paused from her searching to face him. "Now that you're part of the Akatsuki, yeah- what exactly were your reasons for coming here? What happened in Konoha, yeah?"

Sakura's lowered her eyes. She knew she would have to explain what happened sooner or later. "Do I really have to say? I'd rather not talk about it. I got in- that's all that should matter." She replied, hoping her voice sounded apathetic, enough. She refused to sound weak in front of Deidara, again- especially after that episode during their mission. How could she let it get to her like that?

"You're going to have to tell me at one point, yeah." Deidara stated as he watched Sakura return to her rummaging. Sakura shrugged, telling him she would tell him later. It's not like she was in a hurry or anything. "It's all in the past, yeah. Eventually you'll have to get over it. I'm just curious, especially after you started cr-... Yeah." He finished, awkwardly. Goddamn, when was he ever going to learn how to think before he spoke?

"It's okay, just say it. I don't mind. I think... I think I've accepted the fact that they're gone, now." Sakura said, swallowing the lump in her throat. After being able to spill what had been bottled up inside her, she had finally come to feel more at peace, even if it was only a little. Sure, she had acted completely on impulse, but now that she thought of it, she didn't regret it. It felt as if some of her burden had been lifted off of her shoulders.

Deidara watched her in silence as she finally found the cereal hidden in the back of the cupboard. "You guys barely have anything here." Sakura stated, as she looked around for a bowl and some milk. Cereal for lunch? It wasn't absurd, especially for the Akatsuki. "I know this is a strange question to ask, but do you guys go grocery shopping?"

"Occasionally." Deidara replied. It was usually Kakuzu who went out to buy food, so it was no surprise that they barely had anything to eat. He was probably the most greedy, money-hoarding person Deidara had ever had the misfortune to meet.

"You guys need real food. I doubt any of you were taught how to cook." Sakura stated, and looked to Deidara for some confirmation. He nodded once. "That settles it. We're going grocery shopping."

"Wait, we? Who said anything about me going, yeah?" Deidara asked, incredulously. Real men do not go grocery shopping! It was already bad enough countless people he came across had mistaken him for a girl; going shopping was definitely not going to help!

"Well, if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a little new here. I'm going to need somebody to show me to and around the marketplace." Sakura stated, in a matter-of-fact tone. Deidara shook his head stubbornly, crossing his arms. There was no way he was going to- "Fine then, I'll go ask Hidan. I'm sure he'd love to come with me!" She exclaimed, sarcasm practically dripping from her voice.

Deidara hadn't caught on to the tone of her voice and assumed she was serious. "Hidan? You're going to ask Hidan?" He asked with an edge to his voice. "There is no way that I'm going to let that freak near you, yeah." Deidara muttered. Sakura gave him a weird look, and asked why he found it so important to keep Hidan away from her.

'Because he's going to rape you, yeah.' is what he was tempted to say, but he figured it probably wasn't the smartest.

"If it's because of the spar earlier, then I'll have you know that I could have taken him on if it weren't for that thing that just came out of nowhere!" Sakura defended herself. "I didn't even sense him coming!"

"Of course you wouldn't," Deidara started, explaining how Zetsu had been accepted because of abilities to remain unseen, and to travel to many different locations quickly and completely hidden. Sakura bit her lip in thought. She better watch out for him in the future, just in case. "And you know how he 'disposes' bodies?" Deidara asked, trying to bite back his grin. Sakura shook her head.

"He eats them."

Sakura gaped at first. "So just earlier, when I was fighting Hidan, and he asked if I were to be disposed, he meant...?" Deidara nodded. "Oh, god."

Deidara chuckled, patting her on the head. "Don't worry. Now that he knows you're part of the Akatsuki, I'm sure he won't even think of eating you."

Unsurprisingly, Sakura found that she doubted that very much. She was definitely going to be watching out for him. "Anyhow, we've strayed a little from our original topic." Sakura said, thoughtfully. "You. Me. Shopping."

"Now?"

"Now."

End of chapter! TBC.

'Tenshi' is Japanese for angel. I needed a word that he could call her while she was being comforted and I could only remember that one, eheh. It sounds nice, don't you think? I hope so.

Please review!