Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
"It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are." – Roy Disney.
"Sakura, you might want to take my bracelet off, yeah."
His hand was steady on her shoulder. Inside, Sakura was panicking, but she couldn't show it. She wouldn't show her weakness to her enemies, or Deidara for that matter. He'd seen enough of her weakness these past two days.
The ninja before her, just about visible from behind the luminous leaves, were of chuunin or jounin level. She could tell from the sophisticated postures, and the stealthy confidence they held that these ninja were at least on par with them.
She reached up slowly to the hand that gripped her shoulder, without taking her eyes off the stationary hunter-nins. She held it tightly for a second for comfort, before removing it and straightening her back. She would do this her way if she could. She carefully reached into her ninja pouch, pulling put her remaining exploding tags and some shurikens and pressing them into Deidara's open hand.
"We're going to work as a team. We'll do this together." She told him, still refusing to break the eye contact with the hunter-nins. Her voice shook a little, despite the attempted arrogance.
"Just thought I'd ask..." From his tone, she knew he was grinning. "We'll blast the fuckers into the sky, yeah."
Sakura felt strangely reassured with Deidara beside her, his long ponytail blowing in the wind, the ends tickling the side of her face a little. They were standing very close, she realised. Closer than she would stand to Kakashi or Naruto during a mission. It seemed perfectly normal to her though, as she bent her knees, readying herself to attack. It was clear that they were not going to get out of this without a fight, but maybe, just maybe they could get out relatively unscathed...
Tsunade paced the area behind her desk, occasionally glancing out of the wide window, though she knew she would see the same view that she saw every day. Sakura had been gone for too long. She was far too late now to put it down to weather conditions or a simple detour. Sakura was reliable.
The pounding headache from her hangover had worsened her mood. Jiraiya had set off for Amegakure the day before, and the foreboding feeling spreading in Tsunade's chest weighed heavily on her heart. This was a mission she had a feeling he wouldn't come back from.
Sakura was another big weight on her mind. That girl was the only apprentice she had ever directly taken on, and other than Jiraiya and Shizune, Sakura was one of the only people she was truly close with. She wouldn't go quite as far to say that Sakura was the daughter she never had, but the student-teacher bond was very similar to that of a parent and child, especially once Sakura lost her parents.
Since a large number of her ninja were out looking for Sasuke, there were very few people free for her to send right now, but something had to be done.
"Koga. Ushi." She commanded sharply, and was instantly replied by a quick whoosh of air and two lithe blurs kneeling respectfully before her, ready to obey her orders. "Find Sakura. Bring her home."
"Hai." Another rush of air and they were gone.
Sakura and Deidara both rushed forwards simultaneously, unconsciously mirroring each other's movements. They were met from each side by the hardened-looking ninjas, kunai clashing with sparks. The hunter-nins were good. There was no consistency to their attacks, so Sakura couldn't predict their next movements. She was barely meeting the stabs with blocks of her own.
Deidara seemed to be fairing a lot better than her; he was using two kunai to drive his opponents back. Sakura sharpened her medical chakra, concentrating a thin point at the tip of her fingers, each hand becoming a deadly weapon, glowing with vicious energy.
Her two opponents had noticed the chakra concentration, and gave her a slightly wider birth, clearly informed of the more violent uses of medical jutsus. The woman especially looked as though she had seen this before, a guarded but confident look in her eyes.
The woman put her hands together in a quick succession of hand seals. She was a water style user, judging from the seals she used. Sakura jumped back, signalling for Deidara to do the same. They landed on a higher branch, hopping back still further as they were followed by a barrage of kunai and shuriken.
The water attack hit a moment later, the strong blast almost knocking Sakura out of the tree, her grip on the branch slipping. She felt a strong arm around her waist, keeping her steady. She turned her face up towards his, although she couldn't see his expression through the spray of water. As the attack lessened, Sakura became aware of two signatures moving above them.
"Above us!" She shouted, quickly charging her fists again and pulling away from his grip, ready to block and return the enemy's advances.
Deidara twisted his body, shuriken and kunai thudding into the wood around him as he dodged. He caught some of the flying weapons out of the air and hurled them straight back at the ninja, surprising Sakura with his dexterity. From the sound the kunai made, at least one had hit a target. She simply evaded them, using the direction of the missiles to judge to position of the enemy, while watching for an attack from below.
It was very difficult to judge where the enemy was attacking them from. She could tell that there were two above them, and they seemed to be relocating every few seconds. Once she began to see a pattern, following the quick blurs closely, she leapt up towards the movement, using chakra to push away with her feet. She thrust her fist forward, feeling blindly with her chakra for a target, feeling a sick crunch as she felt ribs implode beneath her touch. It was easier the second time, she decided, though she doubted she'd ever get used to killing.
The man fell, teetering on the edge for a second, blood streaming out of his open mouth as he looked at her in shock. Sakura's stomach lurched a little at the sight, before she remembered that they were still in danger.
She looked around, her eyes frantically searching for the flash of blonde. She saw him with blood covering his arm, parrying the attacks of both the female ninja and one of the men. It looked as though he'd been hit by a shuriken. He sent some exploding tags at his enemy, narrowly missing them as the explosive bang shook the forest around them.
She leapt down, not wanting to leave him fighting on his own. She picked up a rock, and hurled it with sharp accuracy at the female. There was a thump and a small growl of pain as the rock hit the ninja's shoulder, probably dislocating it. Deidara looked at her with thanks. He still wasn't used to using this much taijutsu.
The ferocious expression on the woman's face gave her chills as she turned to face Sakura, letting her comrade fight Deidara alone.
"Where is Kiken, Konoha scum?" She demanded, crouching with a kunai pointed towards Sakura, who assumed she was talking about the man she had just killed. She didn't bother to answer, knowing it would serve no purpose.
She was about to drive her fist into the ground to force her opponent into the air, when she felt two sharp thuds in her back. She stumbled with the impact, coughing as she felt blood enter her right lung. It had apparently been penetrated by one of the kunai embedded in her back. She had forgotten about the other man.
"Sakura!" She heard Deidara's voice, and saw his beautiful eyes wide with shock, before they narrowed with fury. He kicked the man he was fighting with such force that the tree the man flew into snapped.
"What's this? Our Deidara cares about someone other than himself?" The woman's voice was becoming difficult to concentrate on, as Sakura realised she was going into shock. She tried to summon her healing energy, but the excess of adrenaline in her blood wouldn't let her focus enough to heal. She sank to her knees, unable to stand. She heard mocking laughter, making the blood in her mouth taste even bitterer. She saw the woman in front of her raising her hand to throw another kunai. Sakura closed her eyes, though she remained upright; she refused to die lying down.
A sharp clashing sound made her eyes flicker open, and through the trembling slits she could see Deidara standing in front of her looking very angry. The woman was clasping her leg, a kunai protruding from her thigh.
"Sakura." He wasn't looking at her; his gaze was focused on the enemies in front. "Take it off." His wrist was stretched out behind him, easily in her grasp. Of course, she remembered. If she died now he'd be killed by it.
Sakura was experiencing one of those rare moments when she had absolutely no idea what to do. For once she had no orders from Kakashi or the Hokage telling her the best course of action. She knew what the ninja code would say, however. It would tell her to let both of them die. A dead enemy is better than a free enemy, but it just didn't sound right to Sakura.
She wanted him to live.
Leaning forward, she managed to grasp his warm hand in her bloody ones, forcing her raw chakra into the bind haphazardly. It grew in size, warping oddly until it slipped off his wrist and made a light noise on the leafy ground. She looked up at him blearily, weak arms dangling at her sides, knowing this was probably the last time she would ever see him. Even if she survived, she knew he would be long gone, back to Akatsuki. Just another red cloud vanishing beyond the horizon.
"Don't cry Kitten, yeah." He was looking down at her, a mysterious smile on his features. She hadn't noticed the tears pouring down her cheeks. She didn't know why she was crying, and she knew it would be better if she didn't think too hard on it. She was tipping backwards, unable to even sit up any more. At this angle, she was about to fall on the kunai in her back. Just before she hit the floor, she felt his strong hands laying her on her side gently. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was his long hair, the bloody tips brushing against her face.
Deidara was pissed. She was only fifteen, yet they'd stab her in the back while she wasn't looking. This only added to the fury he'd felt for his ex-countrymen for they really were backstabbers.
He wasn't the type of man that normally enjoyed killing, but he felt unusually angry for some reason, and couldn't wait to blow them to pieces. The relief he felt as his chakra came rushing back to him was indescribable. He'd gone far too long without creating some art. He smiled as he felt his chakra rushing into his palms, making them hungry for clay. He reached into the pocket where he had stored the clay from the river, the mouths devouring eagerly. When he opened his hands, a large pile of explosive bugs hopped towards his enemies, vibrating a little with energy.
The three ninja had been too close to avoid his attacks. They tried to run, the woman straggling behind because of the injuries Sakura had caused, but the men made no attempt to help her. They were too preoccupied with saving their own lives.
Hypocrites, Deidara thought. They thought they were so much honourable than him.
When there were enough explosives stuck to the fleeing ninja for it to be fatal, he detonated the explosives, feeling grim satisfaction in their demise. The hunter-nins had been too far away from him for him to be able to properly appreciate the beauty of the blasts, but it was good to be blowing things up again.
Now, what to do with the bleeding girl at his feet?
Koga and Ushi were just a few miles from the fight when they heard the explosions. They were instantly on guard; this could mean that the Akatsuki was loose; explosions were his specialty after all. Wordlessly, they began to travel in the direction of the blasts.
The stench of burned flesh was all around them as they approached the site of the battle. The smell didn't affect the pair- their anbu training had prepared them for situations far worse than this.
Koga went to inspect the corpses, hoping none of them would be identified as the Godaime's apprentice. Nobody wanted to bear that news.
The first was the body of a woman, though by the long singed brown hair it was obvious that it wasn't Sakura. The other burned bodies were that of middle aged men. The last body he found had not been blown up. Koga turned the body over, grimacing at the sight of the caved in chest, ribs protruding from the flesh in jagged spikes.
"Neither the Akatsuki or Sakura are here. Could you catch a trail?" He asked Ushi, who was better at tracking.
"The trail leads up to here, then vanishes. Her blood is all over the place, so she's most likely badly wounded." Ushi gazed up at the sky, remembering rumours of how Deidara of the Akatsuki could fly.
It was very likely that Sakura had been taken by him to Akatsuki. She was important to Konoha after all. There were so many reasons she could be taken. Her healing skills, as bait, a bargaining chip, and even to satisfy reproductive desires; she was known in Konoha as quite the beauty.
The Hokage would not be pleased.
Deidara had never been so happy to be up in the air as he was now. The atmosphere was almost icy this high up, but the exhilaration took away the chill. He looked down at the sleeping girl in front of him. He had treated her wounds as best as he could. Although he couldn't heal with chakra like her, he was better than most at post-fight patchups. He had removed both kunai, and used what he could find in her medical kit to sew her up and bandage the wounds to stop the bleeding. Her breathing was a little ragged, presumably because of the blood in her lungs.
He was sitting astride the bird with his legs apart. Sakura had her back against his chest, her head lolling to one side. One of his arms was thrown around her to prevent her from falling. He had pulled his cloak around her earlier when she had begun shivering against the frosty air; he wouldn't want all his efforts to be wasted if she got pneumonia. He quite enjoyed having her with him; the shared body heat made travelling like this far less uncomfortable.
She began to move slightly, moaning slightly as she woke. She opened her eyes, expecting to be lying on the forest floor, or maybe dead. She had not expected to be a few hundred feet up in the sky. After a short stunned silence, she panicked, grabbing with her hands for something to hold onto, finding her fists tugging at something soft.
"That hurts, yeah." A larger hand eased hers out of the silky strands. "You've made it messy now."
"Deidara!" She didn't know why she was so surprised. He seemed to do nothing but turn her expectations upside down. When things involved him, she should assume a prediction of the most illogical progression of events. She was suddenly overcome by a coughing fit, a metallic taste filling her mouth. "What's going on?" She choked out.
"You need to heal yourself. You were hit with two kunai from behind, yeah." He still hadn't let go of her hand, and it was making her feel nervous. Why did he care if she was injured now? She'd taken the chakra bind off, so he had no reason to worry about dying along with her. More importantly, where was he taking her? Surely he wouldn't...
She gasped in realisation, betrayal hitting her hard in the chest. She didn't know why she felt so hurt. She knew they were enemies, and wouldn't hesitate to use each other. Maybe it was because for a second, when they had been fighting, she had felt like they were on the same side. She needed to get these idealistic ideas out of her head. The situation was now totally reversed. Now she was the captive, and he was taking her to Akatsuki. She was to be used against her own village.
"What's wrong, hmm? Don't have enough chakra?" He twisted his position so he was no longer holding her, and instead held his hands out. "I've got plenty, do you- Hey what do you think you're doing, yeah?"
She had scooted away from him, despite the warning pain in her back and chest. There was no way she'd let herself become a weapon to be used against her friends. She'd rather be dead. She evaded Deidara's lunge for her, smiling sardonically before she pushed herself off the edge of the clay bird, feeling a rush of cold air and a lurch in her stomach as she sped towards the earth. At least she would die with her honour, knowing that she had protected her friends.
When Deidara saw her disappear from his sight, he was truly stunned. Why would she do that? After he'd saved her and everything. He really didn't understand women- or more accurately- Sakura.
Without any further hesitation, he jumped off after her, relying on his larger weight to catch up. He sped through the air, keeping his body straight to increase his speed. The ground was approaching more rapidly than he would like, though he was gaining on her quickly. He was close to her; he could reach her cloak, and he used it to pull her closer. She was in his arms, and for a second she was completely still. Their faces were so close he could hear her intake of breath over the rush of air around them. Her wide eyes were locked on his, confusion and some undefined emotion making them look bigger than ever.
Deidara had never seen anything so beautiful. The motion of the air made her hair float wildly around her face like a halo. The delicate light from the moon made her pale skin glow, and she stood out like a star against the dark sky; her shining, trembling green eyes the centre of it all. His eyes widened at the realisation; she was art.
Not a second too soon, they landed heavily on the clay bird, entangled with each other still. Sakura sat up shakily, too shocked by the whole situation to speak. Suddenly she was pinned down; her hands held forcefully either side of her head. Deidara was above her, and she had never seen him look so angry.
"You idiot! What the fuck were you thinking, hm? What if I hadn't got to you in time? You shouldn't be fucking around like this when your wounds haven't even healed." His forehead was creased in a frown as his eyes searched hers for answers. "I bet you've ripped your stitches and all, yeah..."
He seemed to genuinely not know why she'd jumped. Was he stupid? Of course she'd sacrifice herself for her village. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, and winced uncomfortably at the pain of the wounds on her back, feeling a horrible sticky sensation. He may have been right about the stitches.
"You've got enough chakra to heal yourself, yeah?" He asked again, still not letting her wrists go. His face was very close to hers. She nodded quietly, still not breaking his mesmerising gaze.
"I'm not letting go until you've healed yourself." The stubborn look on his face almost made her smile, despite the seriousness of the reversed-kidnap situation. It didn't look like she had much of a choice in the matter, so she summoned her chakra and began to repair the damage.
She was surprised he knew how to treat wounds to such an extent, but then she supposed it came with being an S-class missing-nin. You didn't have a hospital you could go to when a mission went wrong. She wondered how many times he had had to patch himself up alone. She was impressed at the skilfulness of the stitching. He really must have had a lot of practice.
The healing process took a little longer than it normally would have; she found that his weight on top of her made it hard to concentrate. It wasn't uncomfortable having him on top of her like this, but it reminded her of all the other times he had pinned her, and how spending time with him had been almost... Fun. She thought about the previous few years of her life, realising that she hadn't had real fun with anyone since before Team Seven split. Her life had been so dark recently, but even if it was just for a few days, he had brightened it.
Once the healing was complete, she opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"I'm fine now." She told him, expecting him to let her up, or maybe yell at her some more. He stayed in that position, hovering over her as if he was about to say something. Sakura shifted a little beneath him, not understanding his actions. He leaned back, letting go of her wrists. She rubbed them slightly; he had gripped them really hard. She must have really pissed him off. She saw him looking at her wrists, a guilty expression on his face.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you, yeah..." He said, gesturing at her wrists. "You really surprised me, jumping off like that."
She shrugged tiredly, easing herself up into a sitting position. "You've never tried to capture a Konoha ninja before?" She joked half-heartedly. Konoha ninja were renowned for their "Will of fire". They were rarely captured alive.
"Capture? Sakura I-"
"What's going to happen to me Deidara? Are you going to use me as bait? For information?" She felt angry again, their moment lost as she remembered more clearly who they were and where their loyalties lay.
"Saku-"
"I know I did the same thing to you, but it's just so annoying! After I made your chest better, and you stole my fist kiss, and we fought those ninja and-"
She couldn't talk anymore, because he was kissing her. His lips were soft against hers, but also firm and dominant. He cupped her face in his palm, his other hand on her back, pulling her closer. This kiss, although more tender than her first, completely blew her mind. His mouth moved expertly over hers, making her tremble slightly at the unforeseen contact.
His tongue gently invaded her mouth, her inexperience meaning nothing as she reacted on instinct, meeting it with her own, moving with him. She ran her hands through his long, soft hair, enjoying the feel of him all around her. She was kissing him back, even though she knew it was against all that she stood for and what she believed. Yes, she was being captured, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was beginning to forget all the reasons why it was wrong to be here with him, pressed against him, enveloped in that warm, masculine smell that was uniquely Deidara.
She felt him break the kiss, and opened her eyes, meeting his without any reservations. He was holding her shoulders, his face still close to hers.
"Look Sakura... Look at where we are, yeah."
She looked, and couldn't believe what she saw. Beneath her, though very dark, were the distinctive red cliffs just outside of Fire country's border. They were heading straight for Konoha.
A/N: Did I worry you for a second by making it look like it was going to turn into a horribly clichéd, overused plotline? The whole "Sakura gets captured and falls in love" one?
Hopefully you can forgive me enough to review, you adorable little things! ^-^
