After a moment of shock, Deidara bent down and scrabbled to put the askew Popsicles back into the box. A surge of paranoia pulsed through his body, purging the memory of his audacious performance with Sasori's ghost earlier that night. He shook the box so that all the Popsicles would fit and closed the lid, plunking the box on the counter behind him nervously.

"Deidara?"

Deidara jumped a bit and looked up from the counter surface. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Kakuzu's familiar face. Kakuzu's eyes narrowed at Deidara's jumpiness, but didn't comment. Instead he glided over to the open refrigerator, eyeing the Popsicle box. He withdrew the first white container and placed it on the counter, with one hand resting on the lid.

"That was Sasori's, was it not?" he said, feeling strangely grateful there was someone to talk to at this hour. He was tiring of hearing his own, talking in his head, as he tried to test new ways to clean his bounty heads and drain them of blood before handing them in. It was probably unnecessary, considering the guys who paid him were scared of him anyway, but Kakuzu always preferred a clean, professional job. He wasn't one to pop into the bounty office and slap a head on the table with its severed ligaments dripping blood.

Deidara nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He gulped again and looked around the room. Sasori was nowhere to be seen…but…

Sensing Deidara's uneasiness, Kakuzu said: "Dispose of those. No one will want them anymore, and I wouldn't like them taking up my space,"

I never thought I'd take pleasure in Kakuzu's presence, Deidara thought. He licked his lips and tasted their dry saltiness. He smiled briefly, fakely. "I'll throw them away later,"

"Don't tell me you want some," Kakuzu said. "Although…I wouldn't say it did not suit you,"

Kakuzu wasn't the only one who thought Deidara was a mere boy, even though he was almost eighteen, the others still treated him like he was getting potty-trained by Pein. Kakuzu especially. Probably because he was so damn old.

"It has been rather eventful in the Akatsuki Lair of late," Kakuzu ventured. "You…Sasori. Itachi and you. Sasori and Hidan," Kakuzu sniffed in disapproval. "Hidan. Never would have thought it. That someone as sadistic as him could have been controlled by someone as mere as Sasori,"

He stopped, thinking that he had spoken too much. Deidara nodded, but it wasn't in agreement. He decided to continue.

"Even I could not shut him up for long,"

Deidara smiled. "I know. I've seen you,"

The Iwa nin tapped the white container Kakuzu had taken out.

"How much is he worth?"

Kakuzu thought for a moment. "More than I think he is actually worth," he said. He gave Deidara one last look before grasping the handles of the container and headed back to his room.

Deidara watched Kakuzu leave with some remorse. Maybe he should have stalled the conversation so that he wouldn't be alone again. It was early yet, and no one else would be up until maybe five. Deidara wondered if he should leave the place and go find someplace lively, but he didn't feel like fighting should he be caught by some sort of official. He fiddled nervously with a damp corner of the Popsicle box.

Get a grip, Deidara.

He looked at the box and walked over to the bin. He stepped down on the button and the bin lid sprung open. He gave it one last look before he disposed of it. Then he walked outside. The chirping of crickets—so typical—hit his ears as soon as he went out. There was a soft night breeze that rustled the trees and the moon was half full, hidden partially by treetops. Deidara decided to head for the spring he knew was nearby. But as he neared it, he knew something was up. His eyes narrowed and he peered through the bushes. The miniature waterfall that was the source of water for the spring made reassuring, peaceful trickling noises as it sloshed into the clear spring. The moonlight only glimmered off the surface. Deidara sensed a movement.

Fuck, fuck, fuck no.

Deidara took a step back. A leaf crunched. There was a sickening thud in his stomach. It could not be Sasori. He didn't want it to be Sasori—even though he'd practically spat in the ghost's face, feeling all-powerful, that fucking Popsicle box brought Sasori back to life, as stupid as it seemed, and made Deidara feel strangely threatened again…and not to mention that dream. It had felt so real, but Deidara knew it was just a figment of his imagin—

Swoosh!

Deidara darted back just in time as the kunai whistled past him and embedded itself into the bark of a tree behind him. Deidara dug around in his pockets for something to use—anything—and couldn't get any. He swore under his breath and leapt onto the tree branch, hoping to use the higher ground to his advantage. He was, after all, a long-range type of guy. He glanced momentarily back in the direction of the Lair which, of course, was disguised and impregnable to anyone who wasn't an Akatsuki member. Deidara certainly didn't want to lead the person back there. But…I need something to work with.

There was no movement below. Deidara's head pounded.

Why isn't he making his move?

He bit his lip. The breeze picked up and ruffled through his hair.

Maybe it was just a trap. He thought. Maybe it wasn't a person, just a safety measure.

He dropped carefully down onto the grass again, only to be hit by an uppercut. The speed of it—it was lightning. Deidara flew back a few distance before he got his bearings together, kicked off a rocky growth near a tree and stead himself on his feet, his knees bent. There was the tang and stench of blood in his mouth.

What is wrong with me? His mind screamed. Normally, he would definitely have caught it. He saw the outline of his enemy.

Definitely not a trap.

Deidara forced himself to concentrate. He performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu—lame, he knew—to buy himself some time. But a few seconds was enough. He and his clones darted away. Deidara raced towards the spring. He heard the puffs as his clones were destroyed almost effortlessly. His offender was drawing closer—and fast. Deidara's eyes scanned the outline of the spring quickly. He found a suitable wet-ish area and dipped both of his hands into it. They came away slightly too wet, but it had to do. Deidara shoveled the substances into his pocket, not caring as it soaked into the material. He expertly twisted a perfect ball-like lump from the pile of pseudo-clay and stuffed it viciously into his right hand. It began chewing instantly, almost before the clay was fully inside it. Deidara glanced around him. He had to stand and fight. No matter how much he hated it, and how much he knew he was going to, well, lose.

It shouldn't take that long, Deidara thought. He ran up the side of the small cliff-face from which the waterfall fell from and stood his ground.

"You're not very good at this,"

An expression of shock raced across Deidara's features, only to be replaced by contemptuous wariness.

Sasuke Uchiha emerged from the shadow. He didn't seem to be looking directly at Deidara, but at the air above his head. Deidara's hand continued to chew. What the fuck was Itachi's brother doing here? And—

His hand decreased its pace of chewing. No! Way too fast!

Deidara had been putting all his hopes that the clay would work. He wrenched the stuff from his hand. It was a messy, lopsided spider. Sasuke darted up towards him, ready to throw another punch. Something glistened in his hand. It was the kunai. Deidara pitched the spider forward and quickly performed a series of hand signs. The spider exploded with a satisfying BOOM. It was without a doubt weaker than Deidara's usual spiders, but it was all Deidara needed. He quickly stuffed a larger lump in both his hands. The air was permeated with clay-coloured dust. Then Sasuke's hand came through and sliced Deidara's throat—just missing that vital spot. Deidara's hand flew up to his new, luckily shallow gash and backed off. Sasuke Uchiha was standing a bit further away now, his vision clearly impaired slightly—but only very temporarily—by the explosion. Deidara coughed. The battle was so low-key, Deidara wondered if Sasuke was even putting in any effort. Deidara himself was trying his best, but only because he had close to nothing to work with but a substance that was a bit too muddish and sloppy to be actual clay. The blood trickled from his cut and through his fingers, some of it seeping into his mouth there. It was considered a minor wound to Deidara, but certainly a nuisance. The Iwa nin was about to fight back again when Sasori suddenly flew into his mind. Why does everything fucked up have to happen to me in one day!

His hand left his throat and grasped the side of his head. Where did all that bravado go? That thing he'd felt…when he was speaking to Sasori's ghost?

I'd sure use that now.

Flashes of his nightmare flickered through his mind vividly. Deidara's eyesight became fuzzy. He almost seemed to forget that Sasuke was there, and could kill him at any point. His eyes rolled back and he fell backwards. His last thoughts were of whether or not he was fainting because of the sudden loss of blood, or because of Sasori.

Whump.

Sasuke Uchiha eyed the guy in front of him suspiciously. He was bleeding all over the stone, from the cut he'd made. And he'd also seen what the guy had gone through earlier before he went unconscious. As clichéd as Sasuke knew it sounded—it looked like he'd seen a ghost.

Sasuke considered finishing him off. He was, after all, a member of Akatsuki and therefore a threat. Not much of a threat, judging by his performance tonight, but then again, he'd seen him root around in his coat and finding nothing. He had actually been weapon-free. He'd improvised.

The younger Uchiha walked over to the guy's splayed body. He stood over him, throwing his elongated shadow over him. He usheathed his katana and gave it a swish. Then he brought it down.