Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, whom I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.

"Katsuki, no!" Riku made as if to go after her student, only to have her movements halted as a familiar chakra surged through her body. She gritted her teeth against the chakra as she watched the brunette fly at Deidara, who parried with his own kunai before they began to fight.

"Sasori," she growled, muscles screaming in protest at the sudden locking. The redhead pulled her inside Hiruko, chakra strings dangling from key points on her body as he dragged her backward into his embrace.

"Let her go. This is her fight." Riku could hear the longing in his voice, his tone raw with pain and love as he pulled her flush against his front. He buried his wooden face in her raven hair, closing his eyes and wishing to all the gods that he could have his sense of smell and touch once more. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and waist, crushing her body to his in a desperation he didn't know he could feel. Despite her inability to move, Riku strained against his embrace, thrashing her head from side to side.

"Stop, now!" Sasori only held her tighter, his heart constricting with the knowledge that this might well be the last time he would ever hold her. Riku felt his chakra receding from her body, and began to struggle openly. She could see Katsuki and Deidara —both already with minor wounds— still fighting. The brunette was blinded with tears and rage; her blonde lover with pain and love.

"Sasori, I beg you, let me go!" The redhead's arms broke their hold on her, and Riku stumbled forward, throwing herself out of Hiruko just in time to see Katsuki sink a handful of senbon and kunai into Deidara's body, pinpointing spots which would do the most damage to his internal organs. The blonde's eyes widened as he looked down at her, before a sudden cough sent a mouthful of blood spattering across Katsuki's face. The Iwa nin collapsed to the ground, twitching as the projectiles shifted in his body, soft cries of pain escaping his lips.

Katsuki stared down at him, realization dawning on her. Not the acknowledgement that she had defeated an S-class criminal, an Akatsuki member, but the realization that she had severely injured her former lover, the man whom she knew to be sane and gentle where all others would call him crazy and ruthless. She dropped to her knees, her weapons slipping through her fingers as she gently cradled Deidara's head, eyes wide in trepidation.

"What have I done?" Riku stared at her student, who was murmuring in shock, feeling Sasori's gaze shifting from her back to his partner as he stepped out of Hiruko. Deidara coughed, his good eye fluttering open.

"I came back to say… I was sorry and… I lo… I love…" The Iwa nin visibly struggled in his confession, but the blood flowing out of his body was too quick, choking him, drowning him with its crimson brilliance. Katsuki watched, horrified, as her former lover began to choke on his own blood.

"NO!" Riku felt a harsh grip on her arm whirl her around from the gruesome sight and came face to face with her own redheaded lover. Sasori stared down at her hard, his Hiruko costume crumpled carelessly on the roof a few feet away. His mouth moved with words he wanted to say, but couldn't, eyes betraying the emotions his still-human heart felt. His eyes glanced over to Deidara and Katsuki, before focusing on Riku. She gave a start, confused, at the burning look in his eyes, but she didn't get the chance to ask before the familiar pair of hard, cold, wooden lips was on hers again, pressing insistently, desperately, trying to pry her mouth open. Riku nearly lost it at the feel of the redhead's lips on hers, but she shoved him back before she could truly lose herself, eyes hard.

"We're past that Sasori." She cringed at the unnecessary clipped sentence. His face fell, but turned his face away.

"I guess we are." Suddenly, there was a cloud of smoke and Kakashi and Genma appeared, eyes wide at the sight of the Akatsuki and kunoichi. Sasori's eyes narrowed, and he retreated quickly into Hiruko, darting to Deidara's side.

"He's still alive, Katsuki. We're taking him back." The brunette stared up at him with wide, frightened eyes while Kakashi and Genma glanced from her to Riku in an obvious question of her loyalty. Kakashi moved into Katsuki's line of vision, and as she stared ahead, her gaze haunted, she seemed to be looking through him. Riku felt Genma at her side, but she was staring just like her student. Sasori's face screwed up in confusion at Katsuki's gaze, before he stumbled back.

"No…" Kakashi stared at the brunette, at the spot where she had had the curse mark on her neck. It was gradually darkening, pearls of blood leaking from the skin.

"Riku!" Genma screamed in horror as his lover clutched at her neck, struggling not to scream. Despite her efforts, a few pained shrieks escaped her lips, making Katsuki look at her. Almost as though she had no volition of her own, the brunette got up from Deidara's side, walking quickly to Riku's before dropping to her knees, seemingly exhausted. Kakashi and Genma saw her shudder, a red tint visible in her eyes as she slowly lifted her hands to Riku's neck. As soon as she touched her teacher's neck, Riku's convulsions stopped, and she looked up into the brunette's eyes with a wary look.

"Sensei," Katsuki began, her blue eyes returning to normal, but seeing things far away in her memory. "I want… I can't… stay here anymore. I'm just making everything worse…"

"No." Riku glared at her student. "That's what you think." Abruptly, the men shouted a warning, before their voices died in their throats. Riku felt Sasori's familiar chakra flood through her body again before she, too, was frozen.

"We're getting out of here," came Sasori's soft voice. Already, he had slung the injured Deidara across his shoulders, uncaring about the blood soaking through the wood of his Hiruko puppet.

"Now, Katsuki." The brunette's eyes never left Riku's as she stepped back toward the redhead, who was twisting his free hand in signs to summon the clay owl again. Kakashi strained fervently against Sasori's hold in vain, his eyes locked on Katsuki's retreating back.

"Will you betray everyone you've come to know?" he shouted. "Will you betray the ones… you love?" Katsuki looked at the jounin when his voice subsided to a barely audible whisper, and wasn't surprised to see tears welling in his eyes. He blinked and a single tear slid down his cheek, darkening a spot where his mask was. She looked down, ashamed.

"I can't stay, Kashi-kun…" The other jounin both felt Sasori's chakra weakening as the owl summon appeared, flapping its wings and kicking up a dust devil on the roof. Still, they were held fast. Katsuki placed her hand over her mouth, closing her eyes as tears began to flow down her face. She closed her hand in a gentle fist, opening her eyes at the same time. Extending her arm toward Kakashi, she began to step onto the owl. The three frozen shinobi shouted at her.

"Don't-!"

"You'll betray-!

"You can't really love Dei-!"

"I love you, Kakashi." Katsuki's words silenced them. She released the small dove summon she held, where it flew to Kakashi and pecked him on the lips, imitating the way she herself would have kissed him. She turned to each of the others in turn, before grasping onto Hiruko. Sasori flicked his index finger, directing the summon, and pulled his other hand back, releasing the jounin from his control. Immediately, they began to follow the owl, which was rapidly gaining speed, until they hit the edge of Konoha's limits. The three jounin didn't hear the startled cries of the other shinobi a hundred feet below; they didn't feel the cool wind of night stealing over the treetops as they stood atop the main gateway, which was being closed for the night. They watched, frustrated that they could not, by Hokage law, follow their quarry.

"We must warn the Hokage," Riku reminded them gently, feeling her heart constrict in her chest. Genma pulled gently at her arm, and they both took off toward the Hokage's quarters. Only Kakashi remained, staring hard into the fading sunlight. He held the now-still bird in his hand, cradling it as he felt the strong pulse of the chakra Katsuki had placed in it. He struggled not to clench his fist around it, eyes filling with tears that he angrily brushed away. His shoulders lifted as he breathed in deeply, before an enormous anguished cry escaped him. When his breath returned, he held only a single thought in his mind, one which he repeated under his breath, as though Katsuki would hear him:

"I will find you."

A/N: Please review, even if you don't think it's a good story. It makes both AzNcHiBi and I happy when our efforts are rewarded with reviews.