A/N: Another chapter updated for you!
There is definitely more DeiXOC in this chapter. I know I'm becoming obsessive with my lack of fluff so far but once I get to it I will shut up I promise.
Enjoy :)
There was not much to do around the Akatsuki base, so Akira had taken to obsessive cleaning in the kitchen. There was an old-fashioned looking brown radio in the corner of the worktop that gave her boredom some form of relief as she waited for the dishes to pile up again. It sounded sad but with nothing much to keep her mind busy she often found herself in uncharacteristic and predominantly domestic situations.
Most of the Akatsuki had been sent out on missions, including Sasori and Deidara, which had given the rest of them a narrow escape from Deidara's sulking.
She wondered how he would act when he returned. Surely no one could hold a grudge for that long? Her naivety stemmed from her previous years of wandering forests and a considerable lack of human contact.
It had been five days since her spar with the blonde Iwa ninja, and thinking about it now as she positioned herself in the faded, cream-coloured couch in the living room – which she had decided was the comfiest – it seemed rather silly. Akira smirked upon remembering the look on his face as he realised he'd lost to the new girl. The new girl of whom he apparently already knew the abilities. She frowned. She'd have to remember to ask him about that when he returned.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a commotion of hurried footsteps and three rushed voices, all trying to speak over one another.
'I don't know what happened, yeah. I left him with that pink-haired girl and the grandma woman–' She recognised Deidara's snapping tone.
'Stop moving around, I'm trying to concentrate here–' Was that Kakuzu? She had rarely heard him speak.
'And you definitely didn't see him again after that–' That deep, hoarse voice she associated with their leader.
'Ow! That freakin' hurts, yeah!' Deidara snarled.
'Well keep still then like I said, idiot!'
The voices faded as they travelled down the corridor and Akira followed inquisitively.
She paused behind a large, rotting door where the voices had disappeared behind. The wood was thick and, despite it's age, was hard to hear through. Eventually, driven by curiosity, she pushed it open and peered into the dimly lit room. The first thing that hit her was the terrible stench of blood. She grimaced as she noticed the stone walls, plastered with years of built up grime and damp.
It was only then that she realised the three males who she had followed into the room had all stopped and were staring incredulously at her. Freezing, she opened her mouth to speak, failing to conjure any words that could explain her prying. Her eyes trailed down Deidara's shoulder and saw that there was a considerable lack of arm attached to it. His other arm stopped at his elbow and Kakuzu appeared to be stitching something to his shoulder with Pein holding the blonde down on the table.
Stitching? Nooo that can't be right… I'm seeing things… Yeah, that's it. I've been bored for too long that my mind has started playing tricks on me surely…Her head suddenly began to whirl and a high-pitched ringing surrounded her ears.
'Please don't tell me you're scared of blood…' Was the last thing she heard before her world went dark.
*************** A few minutes later ***************
Akira's head hurt. Reaching up to rub her forehead, her fingers brushed over a tender lump on her hairline, which made her cringe. 'I must have banged it on something…'
'Try the floor, yeah!'
Her eyes snapped open to see Deidara and Pein standing over her. It took a minute until everything came flooding back. She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, propping herself up on one elbow and clinging to her head with the other. 'How long was I out?'
'About 5 minutes. But more to the point, is there something you're not telling us?' Pein raised a pierced eyebrow at her.
'I'm not scared of blood. Not that I know of… It was probably just the condition of that room! When did you last clean up in there?!' She scowled.
'You offering?' Deidara teased, crossing his arms and– Wait, what? Akira did a double take and gawped at the Akatsuki member.
'Ah… Long story. I'll explain on the way, yeah.'
Pein left and Deidara waited for Akira to gain her balance before she asked, 'The way to where?'
'Pein has called a meeting with news from my mission,' She couldn't help but notice a hint of a shadow cross his eyes as he said the word news.
As they walked he explained that while away, he had lost both of his arms when fighting one of the Jinchuuriki, which she had heard of from her travels as a teenager. Kakuzu was the closest thing the Akatsuki had to a medic, and so he had stitched a 'transplant' to reattach his arms. He rolled up his sleeve to show a dark brown, wrinkled section of skin covering his elbow separating the top and bottom of the limb. Shivering at the thought, Akira had dared to ask him what it felt like, to which he had laughed and replied, 'Getting your arms ripped off? It hurts like hell, yeah!'
When they arrived at the living room, everyone else was already seated. On further inspection, Akira noted that a certain redheaded member was missing and she smiled at the irony of how he hated most of all to be kept waiting.
Pein did a quick headcount and then bowed his head solemnly. 'I'll get straight to the point. On the recent mission to capture the sand Jinchuuriki expelled by Deidara and Sasori,' he paused, appearing almost unsure of how to continue, 'Sasori of the red sand was killed in action. Until his position in Akatsuki can be filled, Akira will be teamed with Deidara. You are dismissed.'
Shock rippled through Akira's entire body as she took in what he'd said. Although it was true she didn't really have a chance to get to know Sasori, but that didn't prevent her from being hurt by the news. Then another thing hit her, she was being assigned to missions now? Her method of fighting wasn't exactly suited to the purpose of the Akatsuki… And what of her new partner? What if he didn't want to be paired with her? For all she knew his ego was still sore from their spar the day after she arrived here.
She looked around at the now emptying room. Even Hidan was silent, exiting the room with his head tilted down slightly and a single line creasing his brow. Deidara was still next to her and he cocked his head to one side to see the green-haired girl worrying her bottom lip.
'It's won't as bad as you think yeah. That mission was a one off for now, so you won't be going on anything like that.' Was he trying to comfort her?
She gave him a small smile but it didn't reach her eyes. 'I'm not worried. I'm sorry about Sasori,'
'Yeah, yeah. Who'd have thought it? Sasori of the red sand, beaten by a teenage Konaha ninja and his own grandmother,' He muttered, ignoring Akira's eyes widening at the end of his sentence. 'Anyway, see you in Pein's office tomorrow morning, yeah,'
'A-alright. See you,' He left her standing there. She sighed at her everlasting confusion. Making her way to her room, she considered what her life might have been like had her parents still been around.
She remembered the way her mother's aqua-coloured hair would hang across her right eye like a half drawn curtain, and her sapphire eyes would light up and shimmer when she laughed.
Akira's appearance predominantly resembled her mother, but she inherited her father's strong sense of loyalty and his gentle heart, which some considered to be his greatest weakness.
As she reached her room, shrouded by darkness and damp, the harsh reality of her circumstances struck her like a ruthless bolt of lightning. And for the first time since her mother's death, Akira cried.
A/N: Thanks so much for reading :D Please feel free to R&R x
