Shakily, he stood to his feet; his body was stiff and aching. He could feel the dull pain the snake had inflicted to him right down to his very bones. It was a miracle in of itself that nothing was broken. A gentle breeze blew by; it hadn't been long since Deidara departed with Kabuto. He knew eventually Orochimaru would become impatient and ultimately use the hands on method to get what he wanted. As much as Sasori wanted to berate Deidara for yet another act of foolishness, this time he was going to do the opposite. This time, he was going to be the one to do something foolish; something he probably should have done at the beginning.

There was a sharp pain in his shoulder as he began to walk, but he shook it off. He would have to or risk losing to what he was going to oppose. Making his way through the dirt road and dense forest, he eventually reached a place of familiarity and paused. He could feel the ground vibrating beneath his feet as it cracked apart. He eyed very carefully the person who walked from its depths by means of the hidden stairway. "Pein."

The Akatsuki leader stood in front of him, a vexed look on his face. His unsettling violet eyes narrowed. "I should have known this is what it would come to." Rage instantly began to take on a dark aura around him. Konan had already informed him of the situation at hand. At first, she pleaded for him not to fight due to his weak condition, but he was no longer in a listening mood. Sasori had to, needed to, be dealt with, and it looked as if this would be the ultimate way.

Sasori chuckled. "I am very glad to hear you say that. We can cut the small talk and get right down to business."
"Hmph." Pein snorted. "Do you really think with those dolls of yours, you will be able to take me on?"

A smile graced itself across Sasori's lips. This gave Pein a confused expression. Sasori backed up, spreading his arms and fingers. In an instant, something appeared in a puff of smoke. What was revealed to the Akatsuki leader didn't leave him speechless, but slightly annoyed instead. When the dust settled, a new puppet was in front of Sasori. It was huddled in a defensive kneeling position, but then stood up. It easily toppled the Akatsuki member's height by a couple of feet, its joints were covered in steel armor for protection, and there was a large compartment on its chest which could easily house a variety of things. A long red cape flickered behind it in the wind.

Unphased by its unique although sturdy appearance, Pein scoffed. "And you expect to beat me with that?" He held out his hand before balling it into a fist. "I will crush it, along with you!"
Sasori grinned. "We shall see." Sasori moved his fingers and the puppet opened the compartment on its chest and a long, metal scorpion-like tail came out. "This is my ultimate defense and offense puppet, redesigned from a previous one." He then took out a kunai. "You can try to crush me, but I doubt you will even be able to lay a hand on me!"
Pein frowned. "Don't talk as if the battle has already been decided!"

The two charged at one another, clashing against themselves before drawing back. As Sasori landed on the ground, a feeling of uneasiness quickly took over him. After all, this was Pein he had to battle, and he wasn't sure if he'd get out of the fight alive.

~:::~

The hallways were just as dark as he had remembered whilst Kabuto lead him through the hideout. He eyed the silver-haired man carefully. He had every right to be cautious; after all, he was now an enemy. He made a disgruntled groan as they continued to walk. He failed to notice the smirk on Kabuto's face as they finally reached Orochimaru's private chambers.

He opened the door. "Orochimaru-sama is waiting for you inside."
Deidara simply nodded and discreetly took a few steps forward.

Just as he had suspected; nothing changed. There were candles lit everywhere dimly illuminating the dark room. Every corner was a total shadow; there was no question what could jump out at him.

"Now, Deidara, there is no need to act so tentative around me."
Orochimaru's voice quickly grabbed Deidara's attention.
The man smiled. "After all, we have done nothing but take care of you, have we not?"
Deidara pursed his lips. "Believe me, I know just what kind of services you've made available to me. And I have to say, I don't quite approve!"
"Ah, but you were still getting paid no?"

Well Deidara certainly couldn't deny that. True, he was willing to go along with whatever plans they had so long as it ended with money in his pocket, but now things were different. He had found out the truth between the Akatsuki and Orochimaru involving his body. Something he didn't even give permission for and now his life has been a living hell because of it. He clenched his teeth in frustration.

The silence was interrupted by harsh coughing. Kabuto instinctively ran to his master's side, putting a hand on his back and offering a vial of medicine. Orochimaru shook his head. "I am fine. I simply need rest."
"But Orochimaru-sama..."
"I will be fine, Kabuto. Right now, we have a guest. Why don't you further inform him on our plans. By then, I should be well enough." A sly grin slithered across his face as he lied down on one of the large bed's many pillows.
Kabuto sighed. "Very well." After assuring that his master was tucked in, he straightened himself out and adjusted his glasses. "Deidara, if you would please come this way."

Deidara complied and followed behind the man. Something wasn't right. What plans? What more did they plan to do with him? Knowing that he wouldn't get his answer by just asking immediately, he stayed silent and continued to wonder. The next room Kabuto led him to was a laboratory. His nose wrenched at the foul smell of medicine and death. It was cold and filled with the numerous sounds of machines. There was an endless wall of drawers on the wall to his right, which he guess housed bodies like a morgue. Vials of unknown liquid were spread amongst an observation table.

Kabuto brisked his hand across a needle on the table. "Now that you have seen the state Orochimaru-sama is in, I'm sure you understand the situation at hand." His face seemed expressionless as he continued to talk. "Simply, Orochimaru is in need of a certain cure to get better. And with your savvy healing abilities, it should be no problem to restore him back to his former self."

Deidara quickly grew suspicious. "And what, may I ask, do you need from me to make him better? My body?"
"Hmm?" Kabuto smiled. "Something like that." He turned around, holding the needle in his hand. "All I need is a sample of your DNA."

"A sample, huh?" He took a few steps back. "Or was it like I said, you need my body." He took the clip board on the observation table and slid it forward. Upon seeing Kabuto's face, he grinned. "You really shouldn't leave your information around so carelessly."

"I see." Kabuto nodded. "I had planned on making this easy for you, but it seems that will not be the case now." He then started to laugh. "Thats right, originally with this needle I was going to inject you with a paralyzing agent and extract your DNA. Of course," he adjusted his glasses, "This process could kill you as well."

"And you think I'm willing to take that chance?!" Deidara got into an offensive stance. "Because like hell I am!" He snapped his fingers. "Katsu!"

In a flash Kabuto had swiftly dashed to the side and charged at the blonde with several needles in his hands. "How should I take you down first?" He lulled to himself. "Poison?" He flung a needle which Deidara dodged. "Maybe sulfuric acid?" He flung another one. "Or perhaps I should just heighten your pain?"

He disappeared in a flash, and Deidara anxiously looked around, only to find it too late; Kabuto was already behind him. He jabbed a needle into his lower back and injected an unknown liquid. Immediately after, Deidara screamed in pain. Pissed, he lashed out at the man, but he was quick to move out of the way.

"You bastard!" Deidara pulled the needle from his back. A sharp pain coursed through him and his vision became blurry and unfocused. He stumbled sloppily, trying to target a specific figure in front of him, but it was for naught. 'Damn him! He did something to my sight!'

Kabuto chuckled. "Well, this fight should be fairly easy now that I knocked down one of your senses." Carelessly, he pulled out another needle and walked towards the blonde. 'Sweet dreams.' He lifted up his arm, ready to make the slim metal dive into his skin. But that was just the opening Deidara was waiting for.

"Take this!" Deidara's hand came at him backwards; something sharp plunged into his stomach followed by a stinging sensation. Deidara then ran forward a few feet and turned around. While his vision was disabled, all he needed was his ears to know that the odds were in his favor.

Kabuto fell to his knees, pulling out the syringe that had been lodged in his stomach. His body trembled and cold sweat dripped from the pores of his skin. He coughed up blood and even more of the red liquid trickled from the ducts in his eyes. He was seeing everything in a never-ending shade of crimson. "No... what did you do...Agh!" He could feel his very breath slipping away and his heart felt as if it were going to erupt.

"Tch." Deidara rubbed his eyes as his vision slowly started to come back. "Just giving you a taste of your own medicine."
"Wh-what?!" He coughed again, blood splattered across the white tiles of the floor.
"Not sure what was in that needle, but it looked unfinished. Too bad the end result isn't in your favor!"

Deidara laughed callously as he exited the lab, leaving Kabuto spasming on the floor. All he heard thereafter was a curse to his name followed by a blood-curdling scream. He grinned. It just goes to show that you should never underestimate your opponent. But it wasn't over yet. His facial expression turned dark as he once again approached Orochimaru's lair. With all the force he could muster, he pushed the doors open. "OROCHIMARU!"

No answer. Just darkness and silence. Then, Deidara spotted someone standing by the edge of the bed. The person ever so casually lifted their head. The only thing confirming their existence in the dark space was a pair of crimson eyes. Finally after a prolonged moment of quiescence, they spoke. "So it is just you."

"What? Who's there?!" Deidara demanded.
The person did not move nor say anything else.
"Answer me dammit! Or I'll kill you next!"
"Should you really be concerning yourself with me? Just as you have certain matters to attend, so do I."
He frowned. "I'll ask again, who are you?!"
The person sighed. "I am no one you should be worried over. The one you should be focused on is Sasori."
'Sasori?'
"If you don't hurry, he'll meet his end rather quickly."

'What?!' Deidara's jaw slacked. What did he mean by that? Was he saying that Sasori's life was in danger? He grimaced. "Not while I'm around!" Completely forgetting about the shady person in the room, Deidara turned around and ran down the long corridors leading outside. 'Idiot! Don't think I'm going to let you die so easily!'

The mysterious man watched as he left. Now that he wouldn't have any more disturbances, he could continue on with what his original mission was. With one hand, he grabbed Orochimaru by the throat and held him up in the air. He had been commanded to keep silent when Deidara entered, but now it was time for him to talk. He squeezed his hand tighter around his neck. "Where is my brother?"