Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows of Darkness ❯ Chapter Two: Meeting ( Chapter 2 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: WolfGoddess_77 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.09.2012 | Updated On: 02.15.2012 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 150 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.09.2012 | Updated On: 02.15.2012 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 150 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters. No money is made from the writing of this story.
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Mika awoke slowly, her eyes narrowing in confusion as she took in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that she felt very weak. She looked up and frowned. Her arms, cuffed at the wrists, were extended above her head by heavy chains. Tugging experimentally on the shackles, she realized why she felt so tired. Those chains were absorbing her chakra. Terrific.
Turning her attention away from the chains, she looked around. Where was she? Her vision was still a bit blurry, but she could see well enough to tell that she was in a large room with stone walls. Every few feet, torches flickered in iron brackets, casting dancing shadows on the floor, which she noticed was made of the same stone as the walls. It was chilly in here… Was she underground? It was impossible to tell. Across from her was a heavy iron door, which she had no doubt was locked, and possibly barred from the other side.
Her eyes closed, and she let her senses reach out, searching for the presence of anyone that might be nearby. Unfortunately, she only had enough chakra to make it to the door, where she was brought up short. Damn… Well, so much for that.
She shifted slightly, pulling her legs out from under her and crossing them. Blood began flowing through them again, making her wince as the tingling pain that accompanied restored circulation appeared. Where was the bastard that kidnapped her? When she got her hands on him, she was going to-
The lock on the door clicked, making her freeze. The sound was startlingly loud in the empty room. Her eyes darkened in anger as the door swung open, revealing the one that had taken her. Well, speak of the devil… He entered slowly, closing the door behind him and crossing the room. He knelt down on one knee several feet from her.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"So now you're going to be nice, huh?" Mika spat, raising one eyebrow. She noticed he had put on a new cloak, hiding his injured arm, though she could see that it still hung limply at his side. Her eyes widened as he leaned forward, studying her face closely. "W-what are you doing?"
"I thought so. You have the same eye color, but they're not the same as his, un." He leaned back again, propping his right arm on his thigh. "You never told me your name."
She gave a soft growl. "Mika," she responded, putting as much venom into her voice as she could muster. But after a moment, curiosity got the better of her. "What did you mean about my eye color?"
Deidara shot her a sideways glance. This was a bit of a surprise. He hadn’t thought she would answer him so easily. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard after all…
"One of the other members has a kekkei genkai that he used to trick me into joining. When he uses it, his eyes turn red, just like yours are, un," he explained. "My name is Deidara," he added, almost as an afterthought.
Mika watched him carefully. "What did you bring me here for?" she questioned.
The missing-nin hesitated for a moment. How much could he safely tell her? Well, the villagers of Sunagakure already knew about Sasori’s death. Or at least, the ninja did. He could answer this, he decided. "My partner, Master Sasori, was killed after we invaded your village. Akatsuki always work in teams of two. I need a new partner, and someone to heal my arm," he told her.
Her eyes widened. "Sasori? You mean...Sasori of the Red Sand?"
Deidara nodded. "You know of him?"
"Of course. He's a legend; the master of puppets. That's amazing that you were his partner," she said, more of the hostility draining from her voice. Everyone knew who Sasori was. Even though he had disappeared from the village twenty years previous, he was still well-known. Though she wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, she had always admired him. He had been a very young child when he’d first began developing his talents. Such skill was very rare.
Deidara watched her for a long time, then finally stood up and went back over to the door. He locked it, then came back to her.
Mika watched him, suddenly apprehensive. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm going to release you now. I need your help with something, un," he replied, reaching for the cuff on one of her wrists. As soon as it was off, Mika drew it in to her body, examining the marks where the metal had dug into her skin. The cuff had left raw red welts around her wrist, but they hadn’t cut into her skin yet.
When he released the other one, she pulled back, and they regarded each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. At last Mika glanced down at his arm.
"My guess is you want me to heal you." It wasn't a question. “I’ll need you to take your cloak off. I don’t have much chakra, but I’ll do what I can.”
Deidara arched one eyebrow. Something didn’t seem right about this. She had agreed far too easily. Still, he stood up, unfastening his cloak and letting it fall to the ground.
Mika colored slightly as her eyes traveled over his clothes. He wore a blue sleeveless shirt, but it only came to the bottom of his ribcage. The rest of his stomach was covered by a mesh shirt, as was the top of his chest. But unlike the mesh shirt she wore, his was semi-transparent.
She swallowed convulsively as she felt her mouth go dry. Why was he causing this kind of reaction in her? Though she was still furious with him for kidnapping her, she couldn’t help but notice the muscles that were faintly outlined beneath his shirt.
Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the task at hand. His left arm was bruised, and she could see the odd angle at which he held it. It was most definitely broken, probably in more than one place. It was impossible to tell how extensive the damage was, though. For that, she would have to feel his arm…and therein lay her plan. As a medic, her chakra control was exquisite. All she had to do was send a sharp burst of the energy through his body. It would knock him unconscious, and she would be able to escape. It was perfect.
“This will hurt a bit,” she warned. “But I need to see what’s been done, so I’ll know what I have to do to heal you.” Reaching out, she placed one hand gently on either side of his arm. It didn’t take her long before she felt the splintered ends of the bones – or what was left of them. Her eyes widened. The damage was far more extensive than she’d first thought. The radius and ulna had been completely shattered into at least a dozen separate fragments, each one dangerously close to piercing through the skin of his arm.
Despite herself, she was impressed by his pain tolerance; while he must have been in agony, he didn’t give more than a soft hiss when she touched him. This needed to be healed quickly, before one of the bones slipped out of place and punctured the skin. If that happened, the wound would likely get infected, and… No. She had to remember her plan. She could use this against him. Truth be told, she might not even need to use her chakra. One good wrench, and the pain would likely knock him unconscious.
She hesitated for just a heartbeat too long. Just when she started to give his arm a sharp twist, she felt his hand close tightly around her wrist, squeezing in warning. She saw that his hand fit easily around it, with room to spare. Even though he was only a few inches taller than she was, his hands were noticeably bigger than hers. Deidara pushed her backwards, making her head crack against the stone wall.
“Nice try. Do you really think I would let you do something like that?” Releasing her wrist, he reached into one of the pouches he still wore at his waist, holding it there for several seconds. But oddly, when he withdrew it again, it was empty. “Now, let’s try this again, un.”
Kneeling down in front of her, he reached out, taking her chin in his hand and tilting her head back to look into her slightly-glazed eyes. “You know that my specialty is creating bombs. But you probably don’t know that I can create bombs so small they can’t be seen with the naked eye. Those bombs are now in the air; you’re breathing them in as we speak. Now, unless you want to end up as nothing more than a bloodstain on the floor, you’ll heal me, properly. Understand?”
It took a moment for his words to sink through the haze clouding her mind, but when it did, her eyes widened. Was he serious? Surely it wasn’t possible for someone to create something that small. “I don’t… I don’t believe you!” she whispered, unable to completely keep the nervousness out of her gaze. She didn’t feel any different; it was impossible to tell whether he was telling the truth. What if it was just a bluff, to get her to agree to heal him?
A wicked smile appeared on Deidara’s face. “I thought you’d say that.” He hadn’t missed the hint of fear that passed through her eyes. A seed of doubt had been planted in her mind; she wasn’t entirely sure he was lying. But for her to call him out on it… That took guts. Bringing his uninjured hand up, he formed the seal that he used to detonate his creations. “Are you sure you want to take that chance? It’s true that a single bomb that small wouldn’t be able to do much damage, but there are now thousands of them running through your bloodstream. If they all went off at once…” He trailed off, leaving her imagination to fill in the rest.
Mika was silent for several more seconds, thinking over her options. She could always go through with her original plan, on the off chance that he was lying. He had the key to unlock the door with him; it would be easy to find it, then lock him in while she made her escape.
But then, if he was telling the truth… She wasn’t ready to die yet, especially not a death so…messy. Besides, if she healed him, he might agree to deactivate the bombs within her, if they were there. Then she could look for another opportunity to escape.
Waiting patiently, Deidara finally heard the sound he was waiting for: Mika’s sigh of resignation. His smile grew slightly. Excellent. She had given in.
Once more, Mika reached out, placing her hands on his shattered arm. “I don’t have enough chakra to fully heal you, but I can make it so you can at least move your arm, though it’ll be limited motion. You’re very lucky that the bone fragments haven’t shifted and broken through the skin.”
A soft green glow surrounded her hands as she converted her chakra into healing energy. A series of quiet cracks reached their ears a moment later as the bones began shift beneath the skin, realigning.
Deidara clenched his teeth; having the bones healed hurt almost as much as having them broken in the first place. His first instinct was to jerk away, but a warning look from Mika kept him in place.
“Be still. This is hard enough without you wiggling around. One mistake and the bones won’t set the way they should, and I’ll have to re-break them so they’ll heal correctly.”
Only a couple of minutes later, her vision began to blur, and she shook her head. Her hands slipped from his arm and she looked up at him, breathing hard. “Try moving your arm now.”
Cautiously, he raised his arm and rotated his wrist slowly. “It’s stiff, but it works, un.” Still, even so slight a movement sent a jagged lance of pain through him. “What did you do?”
“I don’t have enough chakra to finish healing you right now. I was able to fuse the pieces of the bones back together, but the fracture lines are still there. Don’t do anything with that arm until I can finish healing it, or all the work I’ve done will be reversed, and you’ll be back where you started, if not in an even worse position. You should really have it in a sling, but I don’t have anything that would work.” She eyed his discarded cloak thoughtfully. A piece of that would do nicely… If he would let her use it, that is. Perhaps the torn one… But what had he done with it?
Deidara watched her carefully. She was pale, and a light sheen of sweat covered her face. He stood up and extended his right hand to her. "I'll make you a deal. If you behave yourself, I'll let you out of here. But if you don't, I'll be forced to kill you."
Mika sighed. "That's always how it is, huh? ‘Be a good girl or lose your life’." She looked at his hand for a moment, then placed her own in it, letting him pull her up. Well, it was better than staying in here. It was cold, and the hard floor had made her legs sore. Besides, she wanted to get a good look at exactly where she was. "All right. I'll behave."
For now.
He couldn’t help himself. It was just too easy, and he wanted to see what kind of reaction she would have if he pushed her just a little bit. This was going to be fun… But he would have to start small, so he wouldn’t scare her. A bit of nervousness was good, but if he went too far, she might refuse to finish healing his arm. Ah, well. They had plenty of time for him to explore the boundaries between them. For now, though…
Mika swallowed hard as she felt his thumb gently caress the back of her hand.
Deidara saw her reaction and smirked slightly. He could feel her heartbeat through his hold on her hand; it had sped up.Was she attracted to him?He had been looking for a way to keep her here, and to gain her loyalty to Akatsuki.
This might be exactly what he was searching for. If he could bind her to him somehow... Even if the attraction was only on a physical level, it might be enough.
His grip changed, his hand wrapping around her wrist. His hold wasn’t painful, merely firm. It was loose enough to tell her that he meant her no harm, but not so much that she could easily pull away.
At this point, Mika couldn't tell if the weakness in her body was because of her lack of chakra, or something else. He was only a foot away now, and she could smell him. It was an odd scent; a mix between the way the earth smelled after a storm, and something sweet - an herb, maybe - though she couldn't identify it.
He noticed that she wouldn't look at him, focusing her gaze instead on the top of his shirt. If she looked him in the eye, she was afraid of what he would be able to see in her own eyes. Her heart leapt as she felt him lean forward, putting his mouth close to her ear.
"That's my girl. Good choice, agreeing to behave, un," he said, his voice soft.
Mika's eyes closed, her eyebrows knitting together as she tried to take her mind off of how close he was. A sudden warm wetness on her wrist made her inhale sharply and jerk back, eyes opening and watching Deidara with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. What was that? It felt almost like...
With some difficulty, Deidara held up his other hand, showing her his palm. In it was...
"What the hell…?" she muttered, staring at the mouth. It was closed at the moment, looking like nothing more than a thin line running across his hand. But she had seen it. It had teeth, even a tongue...which was what she had felt on her wrist a moment ago.
Deidara had dropped her hand when she had jerked away, and he watched as she brought it up in front of her and touched it gently with her other hand. He could tell she was unnerved. And who wouldn’t be? He was used to the shocked reactions he received when those who didn’t know him found out about his unique abilities. Watching the play of expressions across their faces always gave him an endless source of amusement, and Mika was no exception.
"I use them to mold my clay, un," he said, extending his hand so she could examine it.
Mika nodded once, but kept her distance, which made him chuckle. She looked around the room, trying to think of something that would take his attention away from her obvious discomfort. "Um, am I going to have to stay in here all day?" she asked. Her arms and legs were stiff from lack of motion, and her wrists were sore. She needed to get out and walk around.
Deidara regarded her for a moment, then stepped forward, reaching around behind her head to untie her forehead protector. He pulled it off, handing it to her. She took it, raising one eyebrow in confusion.
"I'll let you out of here on one condition. You have to show me that you won't try to go back to your village. Mark through the symbol."
She looked down at the forehead protector, tracing the hourglass-like symbol of Sunagakure gently. Biting her lip, she reached into the bag strapped to her waist and hesitantly withdrew a kunai. After taking a deep breath, she knelt down and placed the forehead protector on the floor. Slowly, she rested the tip of the kunai on one side of the metal.
If she was honest with herself, this was one of the hardest things she had ever done. If she marked through the symbol, she would be declaring herself a missing-nin. But if she didn’t, she would never get out of here. On top of that, Deidara might decide to detonate the bombs that he had placed within her.
Her hand trembled, and the kunai slipped off the metal, but she hadn’t been using enough pressure to leave a mark. He was asking too much. “I can’t,” she whispered, shaking her head. Despite the risks that she was taking by refusing, she just couldn’t bring herself to do what he said.
Deidara shrugged, surprisingly calm. “That’s too bad. I’m sure you must be getting hungry by now. I could have given you something to eat, but it seems that you’d rather stay here. Well, that’s fine, too.” He stretched, yawning widely. “But as for me, I’m going somewhere more comfortable. I’ll just leave you in here to think over your choice.”
He turned away, a smile on his face. It shouldn’t take her long to change her mind. Something would force her hand – probably hunger or thirst. In the end, he would win; it was just a matter of time. Taking the key to the door from inside his cloak, he tossed it into the air, then caught it.
“You’re not going to put the chains back on me?” Mika’s voice was confused.
“No need. Even after your chakra fully returns, you won’t be able to get out of this room. The walls are too thick, and I have the key to the door. But you know what you have to do if you want out. It’s as simple as drawing one small line, un.”
Leaving Mika to her troubled thoughts, he picked up his cloak, folding it over one arm. Crossing the room, he unlocked the door, going out into the hall and turning the key in the lock once more. Making his way down the corridor, he stopped at the last door on the right. Inside lay several shelves stocked with different kinds of dried food. It was rare for him to use these rations; more often than not, he would stop at restaurants he passed while on his missions. The dried food was always bland and unsatisfying.
But it would do, for now. He knew that soon, his reluctant partner would be too hungry to care what she was eating, so long as it was food. Selecting a couple of packages, he left the room, only to enter another one a moment later. It wasn’t long before he had made a steaming plate of rice and vegetables, which he carried back to his own room and placed on the table in the center of the room. Now, all he had to do was wait for Mika to make up her mind.
---
Mika gazed blankly down at her forehead protector, though she wasn’t truly seeing it. Instead, Deidara’s words continued to echo through her mind.
You know what you have to do if you want out. It’s as simple as drawing one small line, un.
Easy for him to say. She would be throwing away her very way of life if she did this. Didn’t he understand all that she would be giving up? It was probably impossible for any member of Akatsuki to truly understand. After all, they had all left voluntarily, for one reason or another. But he was forcing her hand, almost literally.
It really was a shame, too. If the situation had been different, she would have been interested in him. He was very attractive beneath that bulky cloak. She shook her head, amazed at her thoughts. Why was she thinking about something like that, now of all times? She must be losing her mind!
Picking up the kunai once more, she placed it against the metal, drawing in a deep breath. Knowing him, he would keep her in here forever, waiting for her to starve to death. Already, she could feel a hollow ache growing within her. She hadn’t eaten since the previous night… How long ago had that been?
This isn’t the end, she told herself firmly. I’m only doing what I have to do to survive. When I escape, I can throw away my forehead protector. No one has to know…
With that last, desperate thought in mind, she swiftly drew a line through the symbol, gritting her teeth at the screech of metal. The kunai fell from her hand, and she sat back against the wall, closing her eyes. He would be back soon, she was sure.
---
The rattling of the lock roused her from the light sleep she’d been in. Her head raised as the door swung open and Deidara stepped through it. As soon as he was close enough, she tossed her forehead protector at his feet, looking up at him through narrowed eyes as she stood up.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he looked down at the forehead protector. As he had thought. Through the middle of the Sunagakure symbol was a horizontal slash. She had made her decision, just as he knew she would. Picking up the forehead protector, he walked over to her.
“Very good. I knew you would come to the right conclusion. Now, you belong to me.”
Crimson met blue as Deidara took her chin in one hand and tilted her face up to lock gazes with her. The expression in her eyes was intoxicating to him. His words had ignited a fire in her; he could see it in her wide eyes. It was a mix of anger, defiance, and - he smirked- hidden deep beneath the other emotions, lust.Perfect. All he had to do was kindle that one feeling, and she really would be his. Carefully, he tied her forehead protector back into place.
"I belong to you? When did we make that arrangement?" Mika hissed, searching his single eye for any clue to his thoughts, but all she could see was satisfaction.
"In marking through your forehead protector, you've proved your loyalty to Akatsuki, and as my partner. As you know, we always work in teams of two. You are my new partner, so we belong to each other, un," Deidara explained, releasing her chin and resting his hand on her upper arm instead.
Mika tilted her head slightly to the side at this. "We belong…to each other?" she repeated. His words a moment ago made it sound like it was one-way, like the ownership of an object. But now... Had he misspoken? She didn't think so. He had said that deliberately.
"That's right," he confirmed, closing the distance that had appeared between them. Mika was up against the wall now; he had made sure she couldn't get away from him.
"Does that mean you belong to me too?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Deidara was silent. His left hand came up, and he ran a gentle finger down her cheek. His caress continued down her neck, over her shoulder, then jumped from her arm to her side, finally stopping on the curve of her waist.
Her mind screamed at her to get away from him, but her body was unresponsive. Everything she had been taught about Akatsuki warned her that he was dangerous, and that she needed to put distance between them. But she was one of them now; his partner. He wouldn't hurt her.
She waited for his answer, conscious of his hand still on her waist.
Another step towards her brought their bodies flush against each other. Mika's hands came up to rest on his chest. She intended to push him away, but found herself hesitating. Why couldn't she do it? Was it because the lack of chakra had made her weak, or because - in the back of her mind - she didn't want him to move? She tried to convince herself it was the former, but the longer they stood there, the more she began to doubt it. He was having an effect on her, for better or worse.
Curling his left arm around her waist, Deidara used his free hand to tilt her face up. He smirked as he felt her breathing speed up. She was trembling slightly, so faintly that he almost couldn't feel it. Ever so slowly, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Yes, I belong to you, un." Pulling back, he brushed his lips across hers in a fleeting kiss.
Mika's blood erupted into flames. The kiss was over before she had the chance to register it in her mind, but she felt lightheaded, and extremely hot. She wanted to say something, but her voice was gone. Swallowing hard, she tried again.
"Why did you do that?" she whispered. She meant to sound angry and accusing, but the tone that the question took was curious instead.
"A present, for agreeing to help us," he said, removing his hand from her chin and twirling a lock of her hair around one finger. He leaned forward again, and Mika's heart leapt as she realized he intended to kiss her again.
But, to her disappointment – and simultaneous relief - he suddenly jerked back, taking his hand from her waist and stepping away from her. Movement over his shoulder caught her attention, and she watched a shape rise out of the floor. It was vaguely human-shaped, and wore the Akatsuki cloak. But above the cloak, starting – from what she could tell – just above where the thing’s waist would be, were a pair of giant leaves. They were closed at the moment, hiding what was within.
"What is it, Zetsu?" Deidara asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
The Venus Flytrap-like leaves opened, revealing a face that was jet black on its right side, and pure white on its left. "Leader has a mission for you. At dawn, you must go and retrieve Sasori's ring." Mika noticed that it was the black half that spoke. His voice was somewhat cold.
"We're not interrupting anything, are we?" the white half asked in a much lighter, friendlier voice. His golden eye sparkled mischievously.
Deidara growled quietly, his visible eye narrowing. "Of course not. I was just explaining to her how we do things around here, un," he snapped. After a moment, he turned to look at the strange figure. “What does Leader think he’s doing, giving us a mission so soon? Not half a day ago, he was telling me that I needed to rest.”
The white half shrugged. “He said that he had faith in your ability to convince your new partner to join us, and assumed that you had already been healed. Was he wrong?”
Deidara shook his head, holding up his left arm where Zetsu could see it. “No, she agreed to heal me. I’m just surprised that he’s decided to move so quickly.”
“We have no other choice. The ring must be retrieved before someone finds his body. You know that could lead to very…unfavorable results.” This came from the black half, his tone matching Deidara’s for sharpness.
“And why can’t you do it? Aren’t you usually in charge of the cleanup?”
“Not in this case. There are other things that I must attend to.”
“Cryptic, as usual,” Deidara muttered. “I swear, you’ve been hanging around Leader too long. You’re starting to act like him.”
Zetsu's black half raised his eyebrow, but neither half said anything more. The leaves closed once more, and he sank through the floor, leaving Deidara and Mika alone again.
"This is annoying. What is Leader up to?" Deidara said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms carefully. "You probably won't even be awake at dawn, if your chakra hasn't restored itself yet, un."
Mika looked at him thoughtfully. "If I get a good night's sleep, I'll be fine by morning. I can finish healing you, then we can go bring back the ring," she said.
"And you'll have enough chakra to carry out the mission safely?" he asked, watching her out of the corner of his eye.
"If I'm careful; using only what's strictly necessary to heal you, I'll be fine," she assured him.
He nodded, heading for the door. But he paused when he realized that she wasn’t following him. “Coming?”
Mika blinked. “You mean…you’re letting me out?”
“I made you a deal, didn’t I?” He gestured to her forehead protector. “You met my condition. That means you’re free now. Unless you want to stay in here…?”
"You'll never get a good rest in an empty room, un," he remarked casually, turning to head farther down the hall, stopping at the fourth door on the left.
Mika followed him cautiously, unsure of what he was insinuating. When he opened the door and went inside, she peered around the door curiously.
The room was fairly large, lit by torches set in each corner. Beneath one of them was a bed, and a table was near it. On the table was – her stomach growled. Was that plate of food for her? In another corner was a second table; this one larger. A pack was in the middle of it, though Mika couldn't tell what was inside it. The rest of the room was bare, but she could sense Deidara's presence in it, almost as if his chakra was ingrained into the walls. This was his room.
She stood in the doorway, watching him as he went over to the table in the corner and put the pouches strapped to his waist on it. He turned to look at her.
"Come on inside," he said, motioning with his hand.
Mika stepped inside and closed the door, but advanced no farther into the room.
Deidara, still watching her, sighed in exasperation and went over to her. He wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her over to the table in the middle of the room, pushing the plate of food to one side, out of the way. He sat her down on one side, then took the opposite chair for himself. Reaching into a pocket, he withdrew a small black bottle.
Mika watched him warily as he opened it, then reached for her hand.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"It's just nail color, don't worry," he assured her, holding up the bottle. "Every member of Akatsuki wears it. Think of it as a kind of body identification. Each set of partners wears a different color."
Though she was still dubious, she allowed him to carefully put the nail color on her. While it was drying, she looked around.
"Where am I going to sleep tonight?" she asked. Her head was turned, so she didn't see the wicked smirk that appeared on Deidara's face.
He stood up and went across the room, seating himself on the edge of the bed. "Right here," he said, patting the blankets with one hand.
"And you?"
The grin grew wider. "Same place. Since you don't have a hall of your own, you'll have to stay with me, un. After all, I have to make sure you don’t decide to sneak away while no one’s looking."
Mika's head snapped around. "Sleep in the same room - in the samebed- as you?"
Oh hell no.
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Mika awoke slowly, her eyes narrowing in confusion as she took in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that she felt very weak. She looked up and frowned. Her arms, cuffed at the wrists, were extended above her head by heavy chains. Tugging experimentally on the shackles, she realized why she felt so tired. Those chains were absorbing her chakra. Terrific.
Turning her attention away from the chains, she looked around. Where was she? Her vision was still a bit blurry, but she could see well enough to tell that she was in a large room with stone walls. Every few feet, torches flickered in iron brackets, casting dancing shadows on the floor, which she noticed was made of the same stone as the walls. It was chilly in here… Was she underground? It was impossible to tell. Across from her was a heavy iron door, which she had no doubt was locked, and possibly barred from the other side.
Her eyes closed, and she let her senses reach out, searching for the presence of anyone that might be nearby. Unfortunately, she only had enough chakra to make it to the door, where she was brought up short. Damn… Well, so much for that.
She shifted slightly, pulling her legs out from under her and crossing them. Blood began flowing through them again, making her wince as the tingling pain that accompanied restored circulation appeared. Where was the bastard that kidnapped her? When she got her hands on him, she was going to-
The lock on the door clicked, making her freeze. The sound was startlingly loud in the empty room. Her eyes darkened in anger as the door swung open, revealing the one that had taken her. Well, speak of the devil… He entered slowly, closing the door behind him and crossing the room. He knelt down on one knee several feet from her.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"So now you're going to be nice, huh?" Mika spat, raising one eyebrow. She noticed he had put on a new cloak, hiding his injured arm, though she could see that it still hung limply at his side. Her eyes widened as he leaned forward, studying her face closely. "W-what are you doing?"
"I thought so. You have the same eye color, but they're not the same as his, un." He leaned back again, propping his right arm on his thigh. "You never told me your name."
She gave a soft growl. "Mika," she responded, putting as much venom into her voice as she could muster. But after a moment, curiosity got the better of her. "What did you mean about my eye color?"
Deidara shot her a sideways glance. This was a bit of a surprise. He hadn’t thought she would answer him so easily. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard after all…
"One of the other members has a kekkei genkai that he used to trick me into joining. When he uses it, his eyes turn red, just like yours are, un," he explained. "My name is Deidara," he added, almost as an afterthought.
Mika watched him carefully. "What did you bring me here for?" she questioned.
The missing-nin hesitated for a moment. How much could he safely tell her? Well, the villagers of Sunagakure already knew about Sasori’s death. Or at least, the ninja did. He could answer this, he decided. "My partner, Master Sasori, was killed after we invaded your village. Akatsuki always work in teams of two. I need a new partner, and someone to heal my arm," he told her.
Her eyes widened. "Sasori? You mean...Sasori of the Red Sand?"
Deidara nodded. "You know of him?"
"Of course. He's a legend; the master of puppets. That's amazing that you were his partner," she said, more of the hostility draining from her voice. Everyone knew who Sasori was. Even though he had disappeared from the village twenty years previous, he was still well-known. Though she wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, she had always admired him. He had been a very young child when he’d first began developing his talents. Such skill was very rare.
Deidara watched her for a long time, then finally stood up and went back over to the door. He locked it, then came back to her.
Mika watched him, suddenly apprehensive. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm going to release you now. I need your help with something, un," he replied, reaching for the cuff on one of her wrists. As soon as it was off, Mika drew it in to her body, examining the marks where the metal had dug into her skin. The cuff had left raw red welts around her wrist, but they hadn’t cut into her skin yet.
When he released the other one, she pulled back, and they regarded each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. At last Mika glanced down at his arm.
"My guess is you want me to heal you." It wasn't a question. “I’ll need you to take your cloak off. I don’t have much chakra, but I’ll do what I can.”
Deidara arched one eyebrow. Something didn’t seem right about this. She had agreed far too easily. Still, he stood up, unfastening his cloak and letting it fall to the ground.
Mika colored slightly as her eyes traveled over his clothes. He wore a blue sleeveless shirt, but it only came to the bottom of his ribcage. The rest of his stomach was covered by a mesh shirt, as was the top of his chest. But unlike the mesh shirt she wore, his was semi-transparent.
She swallowed convulsively as she felt her mouth go dry. Why was he causing this kind of reaction in her? Though she was still furious with him for kidnapping her, she couldn’t help but notice the muscles that were faintly outlined beneath his shirt.
Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the task at hand. His left arm was bruised, and she could see the odd angle at which he held it. It was most definitely broken, probably in more than one place. It was impossible to tell how extensive the damage was, though. For that, she would have to feel his arm…and therein lay her plan. As a medic, her chakra control was exquisite. All she had to do was send a sharp burst of the energy through his body. It would knock him unconscious, and she would be able to escape. It was perfect.
“This will hurt a bit,” she warned. “But I need to see what’s been done, so I’ll know what I have to do to heal you.” Reaching out, she placed one hand gently on either side of his arm. It didn’t take her long before she felt the splintered ends of the bones – or what was left of them. Her eyes widened. The damage was far more extensive than she’d first thought. The radius and ulna had been completely shattered into at least a dozen separate fragments, each one dangerously close to piercing through the skin of his arm.
Despite herself, she was impressed by his pain tolerance; while he must have been in agony, he didn’t give more than a soft hiss when she touched him. This needed to be healed quickly, before one of the bones slipped out of place and punctured the skin. If that happened, the wound would likely get infected, and… No. She had to remember her plan. She could use this against him. Truth be told, she might not even need to use her chakra. One good wrench, and the pain would likely knock him unconscious.
She hesitated for just a heartbeat too long. Just when she started to give his arm a sharp twist, she felt his hand close tightly around her wrist, squeezing in warning. She saw that his hand fit easily around it, with room to spare. Even though he was only a few inches taller than she was, his hands were noticeably bigger than hers. Deidara pushed her backwards, making her head crack against the stone wall.
“Nice try. Do you really think I would let you do something like that?” Releasing her wrist, he reached into one of the pouches he still wore at his waist, holding it there for several seconds. But oddly, when he withdrew it again, it was empty. “Now, let’s try this again, un.”
Kneeling down in front of her, he reached out, taking her chin in his hand and tilting her head back to look into her slightly-glazed eyes. “You know that my specialty is creating bombs. But you probably don’t know that I can create bombs so small they can’t be seen with the naked eye. Those bombs are now in the air; you’re breathing them in as we speak. Now, unless you want to end up as nothing more than a bloodstain on the floor, you’ll heal me, properly. Understand?”
It took a moment for his words to sink through the haze clouding her mind, but when it did, her eyes widened. Was he serious? Surely it wasn’t possible for someone to create something that small. “I don’t… I don’t believe you!” she whispered, unable to completely keep the nervousness out of her gaze. She didn’t feel any different; it was impossible to tell whether he was telling the truth. What if it was just a bluff, to get her to agree to heal him?
A wicked smile appeared on Deidara’s face. “I thought you’d say that.” He hadn’t missed the hint of fear that passed through her eyes. A seed of doubt had been planted in her mind; she wasn’t entirely sure he was lying. But for her to call him out on it… That took guts. Bringing his uninjured hand up, he formed the seal that he used to detonate his creations. “Are you sure you want to take that chance? It’s true that a single bomb that small wouldn’t be able to do much damage, but there are now thousands of them running through your bloodstream. If they all went off at once…” He trailed off, leaving her imagination to fill in the rest.
Mika was silent for several more seconds, thinking over her options. She could always go through with her original plan, on the off chance that he was lying. He had the key to unlock the door with him; it would be easy to find it, then lock him in while she made her escape.
But then, if he was telling the truth… She wasn’t ready to die yet, especially not a death so…messy. Besides, if she healed him, he might agree to deactivate the bombs within her, if they were there. Then she could look for another opportunity to escape.
Waiting patiently, Deidara finally heard the sound he was waiting for: Mika’s sigh of resignation. His smile grew slightly. Excellent. She had given in.
Once more, Mika reached out, placing her hands on his shattered arm. “I don’t have enough chakra to fully heal you, but I can make it so you can at least move your arm, though it’ll be limited motion. You’re very lucky that the bone fragments haven’t shifted and broken through the skin.”
A soft green glow surrounded her hands as she converted her chakra into healing energy. A series of quiet cracks reached their ears a moment later as the bones began shift beneath the skin, realigning.
Deidara clenched his teeth; having the bones healed hurt almost as much as having them broken in the first place. His first instinct was to jerk away, but a warning look from Mika kept him in place.
“Be still. This is hard enough without you wiggling around. One mistake and the bones won’t set the way they should, and I’ll have to re-break them so they’ll heal correctly.”
Only a couple of minutes later, her vision began to blur, and she shook her head. Her hands slipped from his arm and she looked up at him, breathing hard. “Try moving your arm now.”
Cautiously, he raised his arm and rotated his wrist slowly. “It’s stiff, but it works, un.” Still, even so slight a movement sent a jagged lance of pain through him. “What did you do?”
“I don’t have enough chakra to finish healing you right now. I was able to fuse the pieces of the bones back together, but the fracture lines are still there. Don’t do anything with that arm until I can finish healing it, or all the work I’ve done will be reversed, and you’ll be back where you started, if not in an even worse position. You should really have it in a sling, but I don’t have anything that would work.” She eyed his discarded cloak thoughtfully. A piece of that would do nicely… If he would let her use it, that is. Perhaps the torn one… But what had he done with it?
Deidara watched her carefully. She was pale, and a light sheen of sweat covered her face. He stood up and extended his right hand to her. "I'll make you a deal. If you behave yourself, I'll let you out of here. But if you don't, I'll be forced to kill you."
Mika sighed. "That's always how it is, huh? ‘Be a good girl or lose your life’." She looked at his hand for a moment, then placed her own in it, letting him pull her up. Well, it was better than staying in here. It was cold, and the hard floor had made her legs sore. Besides, she wanted to get a good look at exactly where she was. "All right. I'll behave."
For now.
He couldn’t help himself. It was just too easy, and he wanted to see what kind of reaction she would have if he pushed her just a little bit. This was going to be fun… But he would have to start small, so he wouldn’t scare her. A bit of nervousness was good, but if he went too far, she might refuse to finish healing his arm. Ah, well. They had plenty of time for him to explore the boundaries between them. For now, though…
Mika swallowed hard as she felt his thumb gently caress the back of her hand.
Deidara saw her reaction and smirked slightly. He could feel her heartbeat through his hold on her hand; it had sped up.Was she attracted to him?He had been looking for a way to keep her here, and to gain her loyalty to Akatsuki.
This might be exactly what he was searching for. If he could bind her to him somehow... Even if the attraction was only on a physical level, it might be enough.
His grip changed, his hand wrapping around her wrist. His hold wasn’t painful, merely firm. It was loose enough to tell her that he meant her no harm, but not so much that she could easily pull away.
At this point, Mika couldn't tell if the weakness in her body was because of her lack of chakra, or something else. He was only a foot away now, and she could smell him. It was an odd scent; a mix between the way the earth smelled after a storm, and something sweet - an herb, maybe - though she couldn't identify it.
He noticed that she wouldn't look at him, focusing her gaze instead on the top of his shirt. If she looked him in the eye, she was afraid of what he would be able to see in her own eyes. Her heart leapt as she felt him lean forward, putting his mouth close to her ear.
"That's my girl. Good choice, agreeing to behave, un," he said, his voice soft.
Mika's eyes closed, her eyebrows knitting together as she tried to take her mind off of how close he was. A sudden warm wetness on her wrist made her inhale sharply and jerk back, eyes opening and watching Deidara with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. What was that? It felt almost like...
With some difficulty, Deidara held up his other hand, showing her his palm. In it was...
"What the hell…?" she muttered, staring at the mouth. It was closed at the moment, looking like nothing more than a thin line running across his hand. But she had seen it. It had teeth, even a tongue...which was what she had felt on her wrist a moment ago.
Deidara had dropped her hand when she had jerked away, and he watched as she brought it up in front of her and touched it gently with her other hand. He could tell she was unnerved. And who wouldn’t be? He was used to the shocked reactions he received when those who didn’t know him found out about his unique abilities. Watching the play of expressions across their faces always gave him an endless source of amusement, and Mika was no exception.
"I use them to mold my clay, un," he said, extending his hand so she could examine it.
Mika nodded once, but kept her distance, which made him chuckle. She looked around the room, trying to think of something that would take his attention away from her obvious discomfort. "Um, am I going to have to stay in here all day?" she asked. Her arms and legs were stiff from lack of motion, and her wrists were sore. She needed to get out and walk around.
Deidara regarded her for a moment, then stepped forward, reaching around behind her head to untie her forehead protector. He pulled it off, handing it to her. She took it, raising one eyebrow in confusion.
"I'll let you out of here on one condition. You have to show me that you won't try to go back to your village. Mark through the symbol."
She looked down at the forehead protector, tracing the hourglass-like symbol of Sunagakure gently. Biting her lip, she reached into the bag strapped to her waist and hesitantly withdrew a kunai. After taking a deep breath, she knelt down and placed the forehead protector on the floor. Slowly, she rested the tip of the kunai on one side of the metal.
If she was honest with herself, this was one of the hardest things she had ever done. If she marked through the symbol, she would be declaring herself a missing-nin. But if she didn’t, she would never get out of here. On top of that, Deidara might decide to detonate the bombs that he had placed within her.
Her hand trembled, and the kunai slipped off the metal, but she hadn’t been using enough pressure to leave a mark. He was asking too much. “I can’t,” she whispered, shaking her head. Despite the risks that she was taking by refusing, she just couldn’t bring herself to do what he said.
Deidara shrugged, surprisingly calm. “That’s too bad. I’m sure you must be getting hungry by now. I could have given you something to eat, but it seems that you’d rather stay here. Well, that’s fine, too.” He stretched, yawning widely. “But as for me, I’m going somewhere more comfortable. I’ll just leave you in here to think over your choice.”
He turned away, a smile on his face. It shouldn’t take her long to change her mind. Something would force her hand – probably hunger or thirst. In the end, he would win; it was just a matter of time. Taking the key to the door from inside his cloak, he tossed it into the air, then caught it.
“You’re not going to put the chains back on me?” Mika’s voice was confused.
“No need. Even after your chakra fully returns, you won’t be able to get out of this room. The walls are too thick, and I have the key to the door. But you know what you have to do if you want out. It’s as simple as drawing one small line, un.”
Leaving Mika to her troubled thoughts, he picked up his cloak, folding it over one arm. Crossing the room, he unlocked the door, going out into the hall and turning the key in the lock once more. Making his way down the corridor, he stopped at the last door on the right. Inside lay several shelves stocked with different kinds of dried food. It was rare for him to use these rations; more often than not, he would stop at restaurants he passed while on his missions. The dried food was always bland and unsatisfying.
But it would do, for now. He knew that soon, his reluctant partner would be too hungry to care what she was eating, so long as it was food. Selecting a couple of packages, he left the room, only to enter another one a moment later. It wasn’t long before he had made a steaming plate of rice and vegetables, which he carried back to his own room and placed on the table in the center of the room. Now, all he had to do was wait for Mika to make up her mind.
---
Mika gazed blankly down at her forehead protector, though she wasn’t truly seeing it. Instead, Deidara’s words continued to echo through her mind.
You know what you have to do if you want out. It’s as simple as drawing one small line, un.
Easy for him to say. She would be throwing away her very way of life if she did this. Didn’t he understand all that she would be giving up? It was probably impossible for any member of Akatsuki to truly understand. After all, they had all left voluntarily, for one reason or another. But he was forcing her hand, almost literally.
It really was a shame, too. If the situation had been different, she would have been interested in him. He was very attractive beneath that bulky cloak. She shook her head, amazed at her thoughts. Why was she thinking about something like that, now of all times? She must be losing her mind!
Picking up the kunai once more, she placed it against the metal, drawing in a deep breath. Knowing him, he would keep her in here forever, waiting for her to starve to death. Already, she could feel a hollow ache growing within her. She hadn’t eaten since the previous night… How long ago had that been?
This isn’t the end, she told herself firmly. I’m only doing what I have to do to survive. When I escape, I can throw away my forehead protector. No one has to know…
With that last, desperate thought in mind, she swiftly drew a line through the symbol, gritting her teeth at the screech of metal. The kunai fell from her hand, and she sat back against the wall, closing her eyes. He would be back soon, she was sure.
---
The rattling of the lock roused her from the light sleep she’d been in. Her head raised as the door swung open and Deidara stepped through it. As soon as he was close enough, she tossed her forehead protector at his feet, looking up at him through narrowed eyes as she stood up.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he looked down at the forehead protector. As he had thought. Through the middle of the Sunagakure symbol was a horizontal slash. She had made her decision, just as he knew she would. Picking up the forehead protector, he walked over to her.
“Very good. I knew you would come to the right conclusion. Now, you belong to me.”
Crimson met blue as Deidara took her chin in one hand and tilted her face up to lock gazes with her. The expression in her eyes was intoxicating to him. His words had ignited a fire in her; he could see it in her wide eyes. It was a mix of anger, defiance, and - he smirked- hidden deep beneath the other emotions, lust.Perfect. All he had to do was kindle that one feeling, and she really would be his. Carefully, he tied her forehead protector back into place.
"I belong to you? When did we make that arrangement?" Mika hissed, searching his single eye for any clue to his thoughts, but all she could see was satisfaction.
"In marking through your forehead protector, you've proved your loyalty to Akatsuki, and as my partner. As you know, we always work in teams of two. You are my new partner, so we belong to each other, un," Deidara explained, releasing her chin and resting his hand on her upper arm instead.
Mika tilted her head slightly to the side at this. "We belong…to each other?" she repeated. His words a moment ago made it sound like it was one-way, like the ownership of an object. But now... Had he misspoken? She didn't think so. He had said that deliberately.
"That's right," he confirmed, closing the distance that had appeared between them. Mika was up against the wall now; he had made sure she couldn't get away from him.
"Does that mean you belong to me too?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Deidara was silent. His left hand came up, and he ran a gentle finger down her cheek. His caress continued down her neck, over her shoulder, then jumped from her arm to her side, finally stopping on the curve of her waist.
Her mind screamed at her to get away from him, but her body was unresponsive. Everything she had been taught about Akatsuki warned her that he was dangerous, and that she needed to put distance between them. But she was one of them now; his partner. He wouldn't hurt her.
She waited for his answer, conscious of his hand still on her waist.
Another step towards her brought their bodies flush against each other. Mika's hands came up to rest on his chest. She intended to push him away, but found herself hesitating. Why couldn't she do it? Was it because the lack of chakra had made her weak, or because - in the back of her mind - she didn't want him to move? She tried to convince herself it was the former, but the longer they stood there, the more she began to doubt it. He was having an effect on her, for better or worse.
Curling his left arm around her waist, Deidara used his free hand to tilt her face up. He smirked as he felt her breathing speed up. She was trembling slightly, so faintly that he almost couldn't feel it. Ever so slowly, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Yes, I belong to you, un." Pulling back, he brushed his lips across hers in a fleeting kiss.
Mika's blood erupted into flames. The kiss was over before she had the chance to register it in her mind, but she felt lightheaded, and extremely hot. She wanted to say something, but her voice was gone. Swallowing hard, she tried again.
"Why did you do that?" she whispered. She meant to sound angry and accusing, but the tone that the question took was curious instead.
"A present, for agreeing to help us," he said, removing his hand from her chin and twirling a lock of her hair around one finger. He leaned forward again, and Mika's heart leapt as she realized he intended to kiss her again.
But, to her disappointment – and simultaneous relief - he suddenly jerked back, taking his hand from her waist and stepping away from her. Movement over his shoulder caught her attention, and she watched a shape rise out of the floor. It was vaguely human-shaped, and wore the Akatsuki cloak. But above the cloak, starting – from what she could tell – just above where the thing’s waist would be, were a pair of giant leaves. They were closed at the moment, hiding what was within.
"What is it, Zetsu?" Deidara asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
The Venus Flytrap-like leaves opened, revealing a face that was jet black on its right side, and pure white on its left. "Leader has a mission for you. At dawn, you must go and retrieve Sasori's ring." Mika noticed that it was the black half that spoke. His voice was somewhat cold.
"We're not interrupting anything, are we?" the white half asked in a much lighter, friendlier voice. His golden eye sparkled mischievously.
Deidara growled quietly, his visible eye narrowing. "Of course not. I was just explaining to her how we do things around here, un," he snapped. After a moment, he turned to look at the strange figure. “What does Leader think he’s doing, giving us a mission so soon? Not half a day ago, he was telling me that I needed to rest.”
The white half shrugged. “He said that he had faith in your ability to convince your new partner to join us, and assumed that you had already been healed. Was he wrong?”
Deidara shook his head, holding up his left arm where Zetsu could see it. “No, she agreed to heal me. I’m just surprised that he’s decided to move so quickly.”
“We have no other choice. The ring must be retrieved before someone finds his body. You know that could lead to very…unfavorable results.” This came from the black half, his tone matching Deidara’s for sharpness.
“And why can’t you do it? Aren’t you usually in charge of the cleanup?”
“Not in this case. There are other things that I must attend to.”
“Cryptic, as usual,” Deidara muttered. “I swear, you’ve been hanging around Leader too long. You’re starting to act like him.”
Zetsu's black half raised his eyebrow, but neither half said anything more. The leaves closed once more, and he sank through the floor, leaving Deidara and Mika alone again.
"This is annoying. What is Leader up to?" Deidara said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms carefully. "You probably won't even be awake at dawn, if your chakra hasn't restored itself yet, un."
Mika looked at him thoughtfully. "If I get a good night's sleep, I'll be fine by morning. I can finish healing you, then we can go bring back the ring," she said.
"And you'll have enough chakra to carry out the mission safely?" he asked, watching her out of the corner of his eye.
"If I'm careful; using only what's strictly necessary to heal you, I'll be fine," she assured him.
He nodded, heading for the door. But he paused when he realized that she wasn’t following him. “Coming?”
Mika blinked. “You mean…you’re letting me out?”
“I made you a deal, didn’t I?” He gestured to her forehead protector. “You met my condition. That means you’re free now. Unless you want to stay in here…?”
"You'll never get a good rest in an empty room, un," he remarked casually, turning to head farther down the hall, stopping at the fourth door on the left.
Mika followed him cautiously, unsure of what he was insinuating. When he opened the door and went inside, she peered around the door curiously.
The room was fairly large, lit by torches set in each corner. Beneath one of them was a bed, and a table was near it. On the table was – her stomach growled. Was that plate of food for her? In another corner was a second table; this one larger. A pack was in the middle of it, though Mika couldn't tell what was inside it. The rest of the room was bare, but she could sense Deidara's presence in it, almost as if his chakra was ingrained into the walls. This was his room.
She stood in the doorway, watching him as he went over to the table in the corner and put the pouches strapped to his waist on it. He turned to look at her.
"Come on inside," he said, motioning with his hand.
Mika stepped inside and closed the door, but advanced no farther into the room.
Deidara, still watching her, sighed in exasperation and went over to her. He wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her over to the table in the middle of the room, pushing the plate of food to one side, out of the way. He sat her down on one side, then took the opposite chair for himself. Reaching into a pocket, he withdrew a small black bottle.
Mika watched him warily as he opened it, then reached for her hand.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"It's just nail color, don't worry," he assured her, holding up the bottle. "Every member of Akatsuki wears it. Think of it as a kind of body identification. Each set of partners wears a different color."
Though she was still dubious, she allowed him to carefully put the nail color on her. While it was drying, she looked around.
"Where am I going to sleep tonight?" she asked. Her head was turned, so she didn't see the wicked smirk that appeared on Deidara's face.
He stood up and went across the room, seating himself on the edge of the bed. "Right here," he said, patting the blankets with one hand.
"And you?"
The grin grew wider. "Same place. Since you don't have a hall of your own, you'll have to stay with me, un. After all, I have to make sure you don’t decide to sneak away while no one’s looking."
Mika's head snapped around. "Sleep in the same room - in the samebed- as you?"
Oh hell no.
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