Finale: Part I

"Don't be so stupid," Sasori laughed. "Look at you. You think you know everything, that you are everything, just because you killed me?"

Deidara clenched his fists. Kill him. I have to kill him!

"That night," Sasori smacked his lips. "I remember it so well. But you don't, because I didn't want you to. You were such a naiveté back then. I knew that if I let you remember, you would go tattling off to anyone who would listen to you. Just like that other night, when I…,"—here, Sasori glanced a tad nervously at Itachi—"I stabbed you to keep you quiet. I knew something as simple as a memory-wipe drug wouldn't work on your…slightly more sophisticated and learned mind, so that was what I had to do,"

Deidara was speechless. Itachi was speechless. Hidan walked in and stepped back instantly, because the scene was so…the tension in the air was tight. The three nin turned to look at him. He knew he looked ridiculous.

"Hidan," Sasori purred. "How nice of you to join us. Your little boyfriend is getting a whipping, maybe you should save him?"

Deidara shook his head in disbelief. "I'm not his boyfriend,"

"Oh?" Sasori said in mock surprise. "You could have had me fooled, Deidara. After all, you did give him that lovely treat in his own room," he remarked. Even at his speech, Sasori remained as expressionless as ever, floating there in all his after-death glory. He was extremely pleased at how this was playing out and tried his best not to appear pompous.

Itachi didn't need to ask what that 'lovely treat' was. He looked suspiciously at Deidara, who was sneering. Hidan reddened, embarrassed, but no one was looking at him.

"That doesn't matter," Deidara said. He glanced at Hidan as he said this. "How could you? You horny bas—,"

"Believe me," Sasori cut in. "You loved every second of it,"

Deidara flashed back to his dream and his nervousness, his want to escape when Sasori had touched him and pinned him down and—

"Liar," Deidara snarled, fighting the urge to cry. "You're a liar!"

"Am I?" Sasori countered. "You're about as much of a liar than me, Deidara,"

Deidara looked at Itachi, whose gaze was like the tip of a knife. Itachi still didn't know what to think. That's right, Itachi couldn't help but think. You lied to me, Deidara.

Hidan didn't know what was happening. He gulped and felt the knife blade against his thigh as he walked. He had put it in his pocket for good measure.

"Um…anyone care to offer an explanation as to what's—,"

Itachi glared at Hidan.

"Ohhhkay. I guess not,"

"And the funny thing is," Sasori continued. "You hate me. You hate me for everything I have done to you in that way. But won't you don't realize, brat, is that what you're doing to Hidan is exactly what I've been doing to you. You're just becoming me, someone you hate,"

What did he do to Hidan? Itachi thought. He looked at the Jashinist, who looked supremely nervous, but otherwise didn't look scared or threatened by Deidara. In fact…

Deidara couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't stand being humiliated, especially by someone who was MEANT. TO BE. DEAD.

"You should just die, Sasori," Deidara spat. He knew just how meager the comeback sounded, especially out loud, but it summed up everything Deidara wanted to say. He didn't actually want to say that much, because then Itachi would—and Hidan. He didn't want them to know. The past few days, yes, he had been playing games with Hidan's feelings, drawing the Jashinist along on a string but—oh fuck it.

"I would never have raped Hidan," Deidara accused.

Inside his room, Kakuzu stirred in his sleep.

Hidan and Itachi winced openly at Deidara's outburst.

"Don't think I'm the same as you. You're just jealous because I'm still alive, and I got you killed. You never thought the student would surpass the master, but I did, and since you have never learned to admit defeat—,"

"Enough of this,"

Four heads turned.

Pein.