A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back! Thank you for the comments thus far. I truly appreciate them. Rated: "M" gore / adult situations / torture / violence / yaoi
Welcome to Chapter 9 of "The Collector" – Striking a Deal
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"Wake up brat!" a voice called out gruffly. Naruto stirred, then found himself inside his subconscious, staring up at the steel bars of the Kyuubi's cage. Two giant red eyes bore down onto the blonde's body. Blinking his azure eyes rapidly, Naruto straightened up and crossed his arms.
"You're the last thing I need right now," he scowled at the beast.
"Well, if that's how you feel about," the Kyuubi shrugged, "you can let her kill Sasuke. It might be fun to see how she slices and dices up the Uchiha," he added with a smirk.
Naruto bit the inside of his cheek to keep
from shouting back at the Kyuubi. In times like this, it was best to
be on the demon's 'good' side. He sighed and relaxed his
arms.
"You have a plan then," he inquired grudgingly.
Kyuubi smiled a knowing grin, his sharp canines glistening within the darkness of his cell. "Take off the seal." Naruto was shocked.
"And let you have free reign over my body, hell no!" the blond clenched his fists.
"It was worth a shot," the Kyuubi rolled its giant orbs. "Come here." Naruto stepped warily closer. He gingerly grasped two bars of the cell door with his hands. "Your body is a mess now. I need to regenerate it quickly and get your chakra flowing again."
"Let's just get it over with."
"That's a good lad," the Kyuubi grinned. Stepping backwards, his feet sloshing through greenish water, Naruto readied himself for the takeover. It wasn't long before long tendrils of red chakra wound themselves around his lithe body. The warmth felt good against the coldness of the paralyzer that he'd been injected with earlier. It carried itself through his mind until it reached the outskirts of his body. He could feel the power coursing through him, and it felt good.
His eyes shot open; they were blazing red from the surging chakra before they quickly turned ivory. Both his cheeks and stomach, the places where Juugo had spread some unknown liquid, had began to crack and peel away to be quickly replaced by fiery reddish black chakra. Naruto let out a muffled cry as the chakra began to claim the rest of his body. Two long rabbit like ears shot out from the sides of his head, denting up the wall behind his head. Four giant tails of chakra shot out from near his tailbone, shattering the bed that he was shackled to. Spreading his arms and legs, the chains split as if nothing more than toothpicks. The acid of his chakra skin ate away at the leather strap of the extraction device that was placed inside his mouth. It soon gave way, landing on the floor in a heap of burnt leather and twisted metal. Flexing his jaws and finding his razor sharp teeth to be in complete working order, he let out a ferocious howl. Dropping to all fours, he looked around hungrily.
"Enough!" Naruto said angrily, his voice nothing more than a low throaty growl. He was in excruciating pain and was barely holding on to his humanity at this point. This was a very dangerous level to be at, but he'd had no choice. The Kyuubi mumbled an acknowledgement and began withdrawing its chakra. Slowly, some of the coils gave way around Naruto's body while others had refused to budge.
"Hmmm…," the Kyuubi mused, "That woman isn't as stupid as I thought she was."
"Quit babbling and release me," Naruto muttered heatedly.
"Gladly I would of course. For your well being effects my own. However, it seems we have a slight problem."
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Sasuke froze. He'd recognize that explosion of chakra anywhere. Finally. They had been traveling around for what seemed like an eternity inside this maze of tunnels. He had initially been annoyed with Ino, but she turned out to be a good help. She was sharp and quick, and kept Sasuke from bumping into walls or other various objects. The drug effects would come and go, as he only had to stop a few times, usually when his eyes burned or he found it hard to breath. Ino had been supportive, though not with sympathy, but rather she'd talk to him about where they were and what she was seeing.
"What is it?" Ino asked in concern. "Are they bleeding again?" Sasuke blinked his pale eyes; the waxy darkness was still there. His features darkened for a fraction of a second before returning to their usual set expression.
"No. But I know where Naruto is. We have to get to him," Sasuke swore, "He's in trouble." Picking up their pace, they continued for another a half hour when Sasuke pulled her to another halt. Ino quirked her brow. "Do you hear that?" he asked flatly. The blond teen strained her ears, then shook her head. "Something's following us." Ino's pale blue eyes widened and he felt her body tense. "Just keep moving." Not being able to see, his other senses had picked up the extra weight and were now heightened. They pushed forward, though wary and cautious.
It wasn't long before he figured out what was gaining on them. There was no mistaking the sounds of hundreds of padded feet, the clicking of sharp claws, and the gnashing of jagged teeth. Rats. The way Ino's body quivered, Sasuke knew she had figured it out too.
"Sasuke, there's an underground waterway ahead of us," said Ino. She steered towards it and soon the two arrived at the edge of the canal. Its waters were rushing by fast, and were dark as midnight. Placing her fingers into the water, she quickly recoiled. "Brrr! It's freezing!" Shivering, she added, "It's probably from the snow that surrounds this place. I bet Karin and her lackeys are using the current here to power Huntington Ridge." About to say more, she cringed hearing the squeaks grow louder behind them.
"Is there another way around?" Sasuke asked quickly.
"No," replied Ino disdainfully.
"Naruto is this way," Sasuke clenched his fists. "Can you see what's on the other side?"
"Well," Ino squinted her eyes, "It looks like
another tunnel, but I'm not sure."
Turning back to where they
had come, she caught sight of hundreds of red beady little eyes
coming into view. They were larger than normal rats, and they were
being commanded by a man with wild orange hair. "Juugo," she
hissed angrily. She promised herself she'd never go back. Taking a
deep breath she plunged into the dark waters and resurfaced with a
gasp. "I hope you can swim, Sasuke," she panted out, extending
her hand to the raven. He took it, gripped it hard, and slid into
the water next to her. He grunted as the frigid waters hit against
his wounds and skin. "Hold onto me, and don't let go. The water
is moving fast, but I know we can swim across it." She began to
tred carefully across the waterway, practically dragging Sasuke with
her.
Risking a glance over her shoulder, Ino saw the rats scurrying frantically back and forth along the edge. "Ha! You can't catch us now," she called back to Juugo. The orange-haired man merely smiled. She frowned at his cockiness.
Back on the ledge, the rats had begun to pile up onto one another. Juugo made some quick hand signs, and the rats started to grow, their individual shapes melding together under a blue layer of chakra.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked hastily.
"I don't know, but it doesn't look good," she muttered, moving her arms and legs faster. Sploosh! Something had entered the water with them, sending a tidal wave of freezing water cascading over the two prisoners. A guttural roar echoed through the tunnel.
"What the hell was that?" said Sasuke, spitting out water and gasping for breath.
"We're here," Ino said abruptly, bringing Sasuke close so he could feel the cement edge. "And not a moment too soon, either. Hang on a minute," she said, pulling herself onto this new ledge. "Okay, you're next." She reached down and pulled the raven up. They were both freezing and shivering uncontrollably.
"Move!" Ino suddenly shouted, shoving Sasuke to the left. Ino had rolled off to the right, getting her first look at the monstrosity that was pursuing them. It was a massive, hairy sewer rat with teeth and claws like talons. Its blood red eyes reflected both her and Sasuke. It snaked out its tail, knocking Ino onto her butt and lashing Sasuke across the stomach. "How are we going to shake this thing?" Ino wondered anxiously. Sasuke was lying on his back, playing possum, as it were. Curious, the rat took steps closer to him. It bent down, sniffing the raven with its large black nose. When Sasuke could feel the rats disgusting breath on his face, he reached his hands up and tugged at the creature's whiskers, pulling them out. The rat howled in rage and staggered backwards, clawing at its snout. Sasuke rolled to his feet, and backed into Ino. "The tunnel is just up ahead. There are a few lights, but we'll be in the dark most of the way."
"That's nothing new to me," Sasuke grumbled.
The two got to their feet and took off at a run down this new tunnel. They could hear the shuffling of the rat right at their heels. "Damn, that thing is quick. We can't outrun it forever, it's coming to quickly and..Whoa!" Ino came to a sudden stop, causing Sasuke to crash into her back. Tentatively, she reached a foot out and discovered there was no ground. "Shit. There's some sort of drop off here."
"You can't be serious," Sasuke muttered incredulously. The giant rat had caught up and was now pacing the tunnel, snarling, fidgeting while awaiting orders. They were trapped. Soon, they could hear Juugo's voice echoing down the tunnel.
"There is no escape for you now," he called out. "Surrender yourselves."
Ino was about to tell Juugo off when the rat took an unexpected lunge at her and Sasuke. It roared, collided into the two escapees, and sent all three of them toppling over the ledge into the gaping black hole.
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The woods were even darker inside the chakra barrier. The only noise heard was the crunch of the snow from the horse's steady hoof beats. Pulling a lamp from the side of her bag, Sakura lit it using a small flint that she carried in her hip pouch. The tiny flame cast eerie shadows on the party and through the forest. Shifting her gaze to Sai, she saw the determination in his ebony eyes. "Sai, what do you plan to do once we get there?" she asked quietly.
"Good point," Sasori scoffed. "You didn't come all this way without a plan, did you?"
"Of course I have a plan," Sai retorted, glancing back at Deidara, a smile tugging at his lips. The blond shifted uneasily.
"Damn you," Sasori glowered. Sai was always so mysterious, and it was infuriating. He was about to question further when the sound of howling echoed nearby.
"Quick! Douse the light!" Sai hissed to Sakura. She fumbled with the lantern, blew a quick breath onto the flame, and cast them into darkness once again. Everyone tensed.
"Did you know there were wolves out here, Dei?" Sasori whispered. Deidara shrugged. He'd given up caring a while ago, choosing to stare out into the inky blackness instead. Sasori sighed. A few minutes passed without a sound. Then, something hit the side of the sleigh, causing it to rock precariously. The horse reared up, dancing backwards on its hind legs. Growls were heard from all around the sled, accompanied by dozens of blazing golden eyes. Sai swore while holding onto the reigns, trying to get some control back. It was no use; the horse whinnied and shot off like a bat out of hell. He gripped the sides of the sleigh, as did everyone else, as they tried not to fall off.
The wolves broke into three groups, one running along side on the left side of the sleigh, the other on the right, and one in back. They were snarling the whole way, their jaws snapping, their paws thundering through the snow. If the sleigh ever started to rear off the trail, the wolves would leap at it, keeping it in line. "What the heck is going on?" Sasori wondered, curious at the wolves' strange behavior.
"It
looks like they're not going to hurt us. At least, not yet
anyways," Sai noted. He had finally gotten control of the horse.
Bringing it down to a trot, the horse still remained wary. The wolves
that surrounded the sleigh grew silent, keeping up their pace and
never straying, though their glowing yellow eyes were a constant
reminder of their presence.
It wasn't long before a large
two-story building was looming in front of them. "Huntington
Ridge," Sai whispered. "Ino, it's only a matter of time now,"
Sai vowed. The place was dark, with only a few dim lights in a couple
of the windows. A large wrought iron fence surrounded the building,
while the gate entrance hung open, swaying slightly. The wolves
ushered the party inside. They lead them down around the front of the
building, past the stony steps of the main entrance, and down to a
back entrance.
"Where are they taking us?" Sakura asked apprehensively. With a few snorts, the wolves stopped, nipping at the horse to do the same. A lean man stepped out of the door, his dark cloak covering most of his body, other than his light gray hair and pale eyes. With a wave of his hand, the wolves sat back onto their hunches and waited.
"Impressive," said Sai, raising a thin eyebrow. "Are you the one in charge here?"
"Alas, I am but a mere servant. My name is Suigetsu." Immediately, Deidara slumped down further into his seat. "I do hope my pets didn't rile you up that much. They're not allowed to mess with potential materials," he smirked. "Now everyone, out of the sleigh," he ordered sharply. Sakura slid out of the passenger seat and stepped lightly to the ground. Suigetsu snapped his fingers, and immediately a wolf came forward, growling and circling her. Sasori and Deidara embarked from the back, with more wolves circling them. Sai was the last to debark, never letting his eye contact break with Suigetsu's. "How nice, there are four of you. Difficult to tell what'll be of use on you with all your winter gear on. So we're going inside. But before we do, everyone put your hands out in front on you where I can see them." Suigetsu was withdrawing rope from his hip pouch. "We don't want anyone causing trouble." He started with Sakura, jerking her hands behind her waist and securing them with a thick rope. "Hm…you're not from the Village of the Trees, are you?" he asked curiously. Sakura narrowed her eyes and didn't respond. "Well, I suppose you're not, being that you're friends weren't from there either," Suigetsu shrugged.
"Naruto and Sasuke? You better not have hurt them!" she struggled against the ropes, and then ducked down for a low kick. Suigetsu was quick on his feet and dodged while a wolf leapt onto Sakura's back, knocking her face first into the snow. The wolf growled, its hot breath on the back of her neck. She could feel saliva dripping from its fangs.
"Now, now, let's not be hasty," Suigetsu drawled. "Everyone will have their chance to be harvested."
"What are you talking about, this 'being harvested?'" Sasori asked firmly. A wolf snapped at him, but the redhead fought back by swinging his medic bag into the creature. It yipped in surprise, then bared its fangs and flicked its tail. Suigetsu looked annoyed.
"That wasn't a very nice thing to do. And here they went through all the trouble of escorting you here," Suigetsu wagged a finger at Sasori. "I suppose you're next to tie up. Drop the bag and put your hands behind your back." The redhead glowered, but complied. While Suigetsu went to work tightening the ropes, Sai was carefully reaching back into his hip pouch. He had already withdrawn his brush and scroll, and was about to grab onto his ink when one wolf knocked him in the knees while another sunk its teeth into his hand. He yelped in pain as his supplies went flying into the snow. "You still had chakra? Heh…not anymore."
"What do you mean? It's just a bite," Sai scowled back, ripping a piece from his cloak to clot the wound.
"Just a bite, huh? Well, that
bite, like those of any animal under our control, will cut you off
from your chakra, and add it to our shield. Nice, isn't it? You
see, we know all about ninjutsu and chakra, and how much weaker
it makes people without it," Suigetsu sneered.
"It's a way
to make my associate and I's jobs a little easier." Leaning over
Sai, Suigetsu stepped onto his back, and pulled the artist's hands
behind his back, wrapping them with the rope. "There now," he
said, "one more to go." He looked at the last member of the
party, the one who had said nothing this whole time. Deidara had put
his hands in front of him as instructed. The wolves around him
sniffed curiously. "Hmm..the wolves seem familiar with you. Thought
it's hard to see you underneath all those layers. Perhaps I should
take a quick peek, then.."
"You don't have to worry about him," Sasori cut in hurriedly. "He won't cause any trouble."
"Really now? The rest of you should take note of your friend here. Being cooperative will let you live. At least a little longer anyways," Suigetsu replied while pulling Deidara's hands behind his back and tying them together. Slapping his palms together in a job well done, he then said, "Everyone inside, now!"
Suigetsu led the way while Sakura, Sasori, Sai, and Deidara were in the middle, and two large wolves brought up the rear. They entered into a cold semi-lit narrow corridor. After walking in silence for a while, Suigetsu stopped in front of a room, and began fishing around in his pocket for a set of keys. Selecting the right one, he opened the lock, and pushed the door open. "All of you will wait in here."
"But what about Naruto and Sasuke? Where are they?" Sakura cried out. "I have to know!"
"No, you don't," Suigetsu replied smugly, kicking her into the room. "The rest of you get inside and don't make any trouble." They did as ordered. With a heavy thud the door was shut, and a lock being clicked and closed was heard.
"It's so dark in here," Sakura said anxiously. "And damn that guy for pushing me," she muttered, rubbing at her tailbone.
Sasori put his ear up to the door and frowned. "The wolves are still out front. It looks as if they're our guards for the time being."
Sai gritted his teeth, "how dare those creatures seal my chakra!"
"You know, my chakra levels have been pretty low for awhile now. Ever since," she gasped, "those wolves! They are just like the crocodiles from before. That bastard must have been controlling them from the start!" This whole time, everything was a ploy, and it made her angry thinking how her and her friends had gotten involved in all of this. "You better let us go!" she shouted.
"Yelling will do us no good," Sai intervened, "Let's try to find a light switch or something. We have to see where we are, then figure out how to get out. " Click! A few dirty bulbs flickered to life along the ceiling. Sasori cast his amber eyes towards Deidara and saw the blond near a switch.
"Convenient," Sai said coolly. A piercing scream rang out.
"What is it, Sakura?" Sasori started over to the frightened girl.
"L..L..look!" she stuttered in shock.
"Unless the girl's found something sharp to cut these ropes away with," Sai cut in irritably, "I highly doubt that it's of any….," his voice dropped off as he stared at what had scared Sakura so badly. His dark eyes widened, his face paling even more than before. "What the?" he uttered in revulsion. Even in the dim lights, he could see the variety of jars that lined the shelves of this unusual room, each filled with a murky liquid and a human organ. Sakura happened upon a rather long strand of intestines, while others contained lungs, kidneys, and stomachs. A few jars even held small outward extremities such as fingers, toes, and ears.
Being a doctor, Sasori was not as repulsed by such a sight, but still found it rather disturbing. "What was it all for," he wondered to himself.
Sakura stiffened. "You don't think these pieces belonged to…" she couldn't finish her sentence as sobs caught up in her throat.
"Don't be hasty," Sasori said quickly. The last thing he wanted was to have her start panicking. They were treading on shaky ground as it were. "Why don't you keep watch by the door?" Sakura nodded shakily and headed over, sinking to her knees and biting on her lower lip, choosing to focus on this irritation than what was around her.
"Okay, we still have to find something to get these ropes off. Sai, that task is for you and me." The pale teen nodded stiffly, choosing to head deeper into the room, past the unsightly shelves. The redhead found himself oddly drawn to the containers. He studied each jar with such scrutiny, driven by a desire to know, yet dreading if he found out.
Meanwhile, Sai continued to make his way towards the back of the room. He kept his gaze forward, trying hard not to make eye contact with any of the floating remains. He was sickened by it all. Things had gone from bad to worse as he neared the furthest part of the room. Stumbling into an opening, he found a thin table with leather straps tied across it, and blood encrusted sheets. A large, silver, medical lamp hovered over the bed, and various cabinets surrounded it. On a nearby pushcart stood an array of tools, anything from scalpels to clamps to saws. He swallowed hard, understanding exactly what 'being harvested' was all about. He'd be damned if he let that happen to him. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
On the other side of the room, Sasori was still searching the containers, using his shoulders to turn the jars, reading what little of the labels he could. Some of the specimens were rather old, while others were startling current. After searching for a while, he'd finally found what had drawn him so powerfully from the start. The name was barely legible after all this time, but he could still make it out. His amber eyes looked solemnly at the contents inside the jar. A heart floated silently inside the muddy solution. "Oh Konan," he whispered sadly. Bile then rose in his throat. Konan had been like a big sister to him when he was small, always encouraging him in his studies and spending time with him. Pein had proposed to her the summer before she disappeared. They were going to adopt Sasori and the three of them were to become a family. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes as he thought of her and others, whose names he'd recognized from various jars, and how they had been reduced to such a fate. Sasori was brought out from his internal depressive thoughts with a start as he saw Deidara standing next to him. The blond narrowed his eyes ahead, and Sasori shifted his gaze to follow. Lying before them was the same bloodied bed Sai had encountered earlier. "What's this doing here?" he wondered curiously. The blond said nothing as he walked towards it slowly, his eyes glazing over as if lost in a dream…or a nightmare.
-Flashback – 10 years ago-
Deidara was rudely awakened as a bucket of cold water was dumped over his head. "You have a big day today," Suigetsu smirked. Deidara shivered, crossing his arms in front of his body for warmth. Almost every day for as long as he could remember, he'd been awakened this way. He hated it, but he kept silent, knowing that if he spoke up or out of turn, he was promptly punished. Besides, he was still sore from the last time he'd been reprimanded. "Time to go," Suigetsu said cheerfully. Bending down, he withdrew a set of keys from his pocket and set about to opening the shackles around the blonde's feet. He wasn't worried about the fourteen-year-old causing him any problems. The kid's mind, body, and spirit were broken, and it was hardly a chore moving him. After the locks were released, Suigetsu went about to fastening a choker around Deidara's neck, and then attached a leather leash to it. Wrapping the other end around his forearm he lead Deidara outside Room 43. The blond followed Suigetsu, wincing slightly at the rawness of his pained body. Squinting his eyes, he was temporarily blinded by the lights in the corridor. It'd been awhile since he left his dark cell, so long in fact, that he'd given up scratching at the walls to keep track of time. Come to think of it, he had no idea what day it even was. Not like it mattered anyways. Honestly, he wished he could just curl up and die. That would be better than surviving in this pit of hell.
He was lead down a long passageway to a room that stood alone at the end. The door stood open ominously. Suigetsu pushed the blond inside, where two wards and Karin were waiting expectantly.
"Hello, Deidara," Karin smiled sweetly. The blond grew nervous. She was only nice to him when she wanted something. Something that always resulted in pain. He slowly began to inch backwards until he was halted by a sharp tug on his leash. "Bring him over." Suigetsu dragged the boy further inside the room, past shelves of empty jars, until they both stood in front of an operation table. Its metal frame shone wickedly under the intense light of the lamp that hung overhead. "Do you know what today is?" Karin asked, leaning down to face Deidara.
"No," Deidara whispered in a raw voice.
"Today is my birthday. I've made a wish and today it's coming true," she smiled wickedly. She nodded to Suigetsu, who shoved Deidara forward into the hands of the awaiting wards. They gripped him by the shoulders, forcing him onto the bed.
"No! Leave me alone!" Deidara cried out. He struggled against the leather straps as they were brought over him and secured. Lying flat on his back, he had no other choice but to stare into the evil magenta colored eyes that bore down on him. Karin signaled to the wards, which promptly exited.
"What do you want?" Deidara was scared. He'd heard noises, screams and howls nearly every day, but he didn't know what had caused them. His body began to shake.
"Relax, Dei-chan," Karin cooed, entwining her fingers with the young teens. She playfully teased at the hand mouths, tracing the smooth contours of each. She moved in closer, taking each of his ten fingers into her mouth. She suckled them sensually as if savoring them. Deidara was disgusted by her actions, but was too terrified to retaliate. "These really are amazing," she whispered in awe. "A must have for my collection." Straightening up she called out excitedly," Suigetsu, bring me the sedative."
"Of course," he replied, sauntering over to the cabinet. He was about to pick up the sedative when an idea struck him. Smiling wickedly, he reached for a different vile of similar color. "Here you are Karin," he said coolly, handing over the needle. Deidara tried wiggling out of the bonds, his eyes widening all the while at the prospect of what was going to happen to him. Feeling for the vein in his right arm, Karin stuck the needle's tip in, emptying its contents.
"Please don't do this," Deidara begged, tears cascading down his cheeks.
"Oh come now, it's not like you're going to die," Karin replied, annoyed. He was ruining her fun.
"But they're a part of my jutsu" he pleaded, "They are all I have left."
"To me, you are nothing but a worthless child while my collection will be known worldwide." She turned to her right and extracted a large vicious saw from a cabinet. She brought it up close to Deidara's eyes. "This is a special tool designed to cut through skin, muscle, and bone. You'll be the first to attest to its power." The saw whirred to life, the sound deafening in Deidara's ears. Suigetsu smiled cruelly as he wrapped a thick black cloth around first the blonde's eyes, then his mouth. Taking it a good sign to see Deidara's body go slack, Karin figured the sedative was beginning to take effect. But something was wrong. Pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose, Karin readied the saw. "Consider your hands a contribution to a very worthy cause," she smirked.
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Deidara's glazed, frantic stare turned to one of fierce hatred. Snarling, he kicked at the table and sent it crashing to the ground. Sasori was shocked. This side of Deidara was one he hadn't seen since the days after Pein and he had found him in that desolate cave. "Bastard," he said angrily. "You knew I was still awake! The whole damn time. I felt everything!" Shaking with anger, he began to crush the table with his foot, beating on it over and over.
"Deidara!" Sasori called out to his friend worriedly. Everyone needed to be levelheaded if they were going to survive this ordeal. But he had to stop Deidara from carrying on like this. Sasori could think of only one way. Slowly, he edged closer to his enraged friend. Although he could have banged away on pots and pans and still, Deidara would not have noticed him, as he was completely engrossed in destroying the table and lamp. As soon as Sasori was close enough, he flung his body into Deidara's, pinning it against the wall. He was face to face with the blond, his cool gaze taking in Deidara's wrath-filled one. He could feel how fast the blonde's heart was beating in his chest, could feel the heat rising from his body. He could even see the angry tears falling from his friend's red-rimmed eyes, and just how furious Deidara really was.
"Leave me alone," Deidara growled, struggling to get out from under Sasori's hold. But being as his hands were tied behind his back and the redhead was pushing up against him, there wasn't anywhere to go.
"Deidara, listen to me. You have to stop this. We have to focus on our current problem," Sasori stated firmly.
"Get off of me," Deidara snarled, "or I'll kill you," he spoke flatly, his eyes darkening and turning deadly. Sasori didn't doubt it. He knew that Deidara was a threat to his smaller, leaner frame, but he didn't back down. However, he couldn't keep this up for long, and Deidara was slowly staring to break away. Sasori then ducked his head, letting his teeth latch onto Deidara's scarf. He pulled on it unto it gave way, revealing the flushed tanned skin underneath. Nuzzling into his friend's neck, Sasori nipped at Deidara's hot flesh roughly. Then, he followed the path of Deidara's heated tears, kissing the salty trail upwards. He felt the blond flush from his bold advances, and start to lose some of his resolve. Doing what came natural next, the redhead leaned up and planted his lips on Deidara's. They tasted bittersweet as his tongue sought entrance. Surprise gave way to weary acceptance as he complied. The two stood locked in a rough kiss, Sasori hoping he could let some of Deidara's anger subside, by showing him that no matter what had happened to him, he still loved him. Now it was Sasori's turn to be surprised, as Deidara responded hungrily to him, deepening the kiss. Shifting his weight, Deidara had finally succeeded in pushing Sasori off of him and stood, breathing heavily and staring hard back at him.
"Deidara, I.." Sasori began hesitantly, only to be cut off by Sai's frantic shouts at the front end of the room. "Look, don't do anything, I'll be right back." Frustrated, both mentally and physically, the redhead left his friend to see what all the commotion was about.
"Hey! Hey! Suigetsu, right? Suigetsu!" Sai called out near the door. Sakura lie unconscious at the front door. Liquid pooled around her head, and broken pieces of glass littered the floor. It looked like Sai had knocked her out with one of the jars.
The tiny barred window on the door was opened, revealing two pale eyes. "You better shut your trap or I'll shut it for you," Suigetsu growled in annoyance.
"I'll make a bargain with you," Sai said evenly.
"Really?" Suigetsu said skeptically. "I highly doubt you'd have anything that I'd consider worthwhile."
"It's simple really," Sai stated matter-of-factly. "There is something in here that I'm sure you'd love to have."
"What the hell is Sai up to?" Sasori wondered, furring his brow. Sai's ebony gaze drifted down towards the back of the room, where Deidara stood, eyes blazing. The redhead's jaw dropped. He wouldn't dare.
"You might remember an old friend of yours," Sai caught the stunned look on Sasori's face. "Does the name…," he paused dramatically, "Deidara, ring a bell?"
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END CHAPTER 9
Well, another chapter and the plot thickens.
Hope you guys enjoyed it. Please leave a comment, they are always much appreciated and they keep me going.