Chapter 4

He was in a dark and confined room. Not a sound could be heard besides his own breathing; like a crypt, all was silent. Chains clanked together as the prisoner shifted positions slightly. He was leaned against the wall farthest from the door, the only way in and out of his miserable cell, not that he could get too far, the room was only about ten feet long and ten feet wide. If he stood up, he knew that he could almost touch the ceiling for how low it was, considering how short he was. The floor was made of solid concrete, rough and unyielding. With what little light that seeped under the sturdy wooden door, one could see patches of blood on the walls and the floor scattered here and there. Not all of it was his, much of it came from other unfortunate people who had passed through this place.

"Not people," he thought bitterly, "those like me."

With ragged breaths, he studied his hands, the cause of much of his suffering. "Why… why does it matter that I have these. Why can't they leave me be… I wasn't hurting anyone…" he thought tiredly. Just as his thoughts turned to a small girl with hair the color of wheat, he heard it. The dreaded sound of footsteps. Closer and closer they got, all the time getting progressively louder. The boy gulped nervously, what would the footsteps bring this time? He shielded his eyes as the door creaked open, allowing a bright beam of light to flood his prison, and flinched as a large hand reached for his prone form…

Deidara jolted awake suddenly, breathing heavy and sweating profusely. His whole body trembled from the nightmare. "Not a nightmare, a memory" he mumbled to himself as his hands closed and opened rapidly in an effort to dispel the trembling.

He was laying against the rock the Konoha ninja had stuck him next to. The cool grass felt soothing under his bare feet and a light breeze rustled his hair as he took a deep, calming breath. It was then that he heard a rustling from nearby.

Deidara looked over and winced when he notice the pink haired kunoichi staring strangely at him. "Damn, she must have seen all that, yeah." Staring back quietly, the two ninja contemplated each other. Deidara was not going to give her the satisfaction of looking away first, not after what she had just witnessed, his pride wouldn't allow it.

Quietly, Sakura approached him. She knelt at his side and gave Deidara a long, contemplative look. "See something you like - ya," he hissed arrogantly. But Sakura didn't blink; instead, she reached out her hand and before he could stop himself, Deidara found himself shying away. "Like the coward I am," he thought to himself angrily. He steeled himself and promised that he wouldn't yield to her again. He couldn't afford to show more weakness.

Sakura simply touched his forehead once more, checking his temperature to make sure he hadn't overexerted himself during the long trek back towards the village. "How do you feel?" she asked him simply. Surprised at her lack of comment on his previous behavior, he didn't answer for a moment. Finally, he replied with a simple, "fine…"

She didn't believe him. Sakura knew that there was something going on, not necessarily physically, but mentally. A powerful ninja like Deidara didn't shy away from a touch for no reason. There was something bigger going on, something that had to do with the way he had suddenly woken up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily and seemingly haunted. She was going to figure it out if she had anything to say about it.

Shifting could be heard from several feet away. The sun was rising and everyone was starting to wake up. Soon, it would be time to finish their journey back to the village; they would probably reach it by midday. Sakura turned her head up to catch Deidara's eyes. They caught each other's gazes and held the stare for a moment. Sakura quietly said, "you know, I'm a medical ninja. I do more than just treat physical ailments. If there's something… bothering you, I might be able to help."

Shocked, Deidara could only open and close his mouth without saying a word. After a moment, he said, "um, okay, ya?" He had no clue how to respond to such a seemingly out-of-the-blue statement. Sakura nodded once and stood up, turning to her friends.

"Is the prisoner ready to move on?" Kakashi asked Sakura, hands in his pockets and eyes on Deidara.

"Yes sensei!"

"Then lets move out."

The team gathered around Deidara, and off they journeyed. For the friends, back towards home. For Deidara, towards something unknown and terrifying. The only solace he had was the pink-haired kunoichi's words. He contemplated those strange words as they all journeyed towards the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Author's note: Hey all, I know it's been forever since I updated. I had some spare time and I was thinking about this story. Don't expect it to be updated regularly, or even soon, but maybe one day I'll finish this story. Cheers!