Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows of Darkness ❯ Chapter Five: Testing the Waters ( Chapter 5 )
[ 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: 02.12.2012 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 142 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.12.2012 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 142 | 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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Deidara was shocked to see what had become of the cave that they had used as a base to seal the One-Tail. All that was left of it was a rocky arch that had once been the entrance. The rest had caved in from the intense battle that had taken place.
He looked around, his eye narrowed. There were dried blood spatters everywhere; some mixed with a thick purple liquid which he instantly recognized as the unique poison Sasori favored, and he could see bits and pieces of smashed puppets. Some of them, he noticed, were Sasori's, but many, from what he could tell, were unfamiliar. Had Sasori collected more puppets than he originally thought? Going over to one of them, he nudged it with his foot. No, the signature red scorpion was missing. These must belong to that old hag. His gaze stopped on the back wall, and he walked forward slowly.
"Master Sasori..." he said quietly.
Mika looked over at him in surprise. She followed his gaze to see a figure cloaked in brown pinned to the wall by what looked like the head of some kind of giant animal. But something was wrong. Taking a couple of steps closer, she saw what was so strange. The figure was a puppet. As she drew closer, she could make out its features. Short red hair peeked out from beneath the cloak-like piece of fabric he wore. She could see the joints connected to his body, and a large circular hole in the left side of his chest. His eyes were nothing but empty holes. This was Sasori? His appearance fit with the description of him she had been given in the village, but... He had left Sunagakure twenty years ago. This boy looked no older than fifteen. And then there was the fact that Sasori had been human.
"That's Sasori? But how-?"
"He turned himself into a puppet, un. I told you before that Master Sasori believed that art should be eternal. He didn't want to grow old, so he changed himself into one of his art pieces. Being a puppet also helped him in battle. Do you see that?" He pointed to the hole in the puppet’s chest. “That was where his heart was. No matter how many times his body was injured, as long as his heart was intact, he would remain unharmed,” Deidara explained.
For a moment, Mika saw something that she swore was sadness flash across his face, but before she could get a better look, it disappeared, leaving him impassive once more.
Deidara walked towards Sasori, his face devoid of any emotion. He looked at the odd puppet head that had clamped its teeth around Sasori's body. Quickly, he took the ring from Sasori's thumb, then turned back to Mika. He handed it to her. "Hold on to this. There's something I have to do."
Mika looked down at the ring. It was identical to Deidara’s except for one thing. Inscribed into the middle was the character for 'jewel'. Looking back up again, she watched as Deidara picked his way carefully around the perimeter of the cave. He was placing a lump of clay every few feet. She vaguely noticed that they were shaped like scorpions.
"What are you doing?" she asked as he placed the last pieces of clay down and came back to her.
"Setting up a grave, un," he replied. "Let's go." Outside, the bird hovered a couple of feet above the surface of the water. He went over to it and leapt up onto its back, Mika right behind him. Almost immediately, the bird rose several hundred feet into the air, making the bottom of Mika's stomach drop out. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms tightly around Deidara’s waist, holding onto him.
Deidara formed one more seal and held it, looking down at the destroyed cave. Mika recognized it as the seal he had made when he detonated the small bomb he’d used to knock her unconscious just before he captured her. "It's the least I can do for Master Sasori. This way, no one will disturb him. Katsu!"
The explosion sent a rippling shockwave through the air, making the bird tremble beneath them. Rocks crushed to pieces by the blast rained down, disappearing into a cloud of dust. When the cloud settled, there was no trace of Sasori or the cave. There was only a crater left, filled with rubble.
Deidara looked over at her. Strangely enough, he didn’t seem to notice the deathgrip she currently had on him. "Do you have the ring?" Mika pried one of her hands out from around him, holding it up. In her palm rested the ring. But instead of taking it, he merely shook his head. "Hold on to it. If Leader doesn't want it back, it'll be yours, un."
Mika looked down at it, then slipped it into the pouch at her waist. Slowly, she released the hold she had on him. She sat back, propping herself up with her hands. "So what do we do now?" she asked, her voice still slightly shaky.
"We go back to the base and wait for Zetsu to bring us a new mission from Leader. It won't take long; we have to find and capture the Tailed Beasts as soon as we can." He sat down a short distance away, propping his arm up on one bent knee.
"That was easier than I thought it would be," Mika said, half to herself. “I wonder why they didn't take Sasori back to the village. He's a missing-nin, and one with unusual qualities. You would think the medics would want to study him."
Deidara shrugged one shoulder. "It's a good thing they didn't take him back. Leader said we had to get that ring, even if it meant a second invasion, un."
Mika glanced over at him, arching one eyebrow. "But you were badly injured in the first one, and Sasori was ultimately killed. Can you handle a second, now that the village’s security is even higher?" Besides that, she wasn’t sure she was ready to return to the village, especially as an enemy. The thought of having to injure, probably even kill, ninja she had grown up with made her feel sick.
A wicked grin spread across his face. "I wouldn't be fighting them this time. We'd use two teams. I would let Hidan and Kakuzu handle the opposition, while I went for the ring. Those two are the most efficient team in Akatsuki."
"How so?"
Deidara looked over at her, and she could see dark amusement in his eye. "Hidan is immortal, and Kakuzu can be fatally wounded up to four times and not have to worry about dying. Besides that, they both love fighting. No one can stand up to them when they get serious."
Mika's eyes widened. "Immortal? But that's...impossible. There's no such thing as immortality."
"There's at least one way to gain it, and Hidan found it. Of course, it involves regular human sacrifices, but that's a small price to pay for never dying, don't you think?"
A lump formed in her throat. So that was the secret to immortality. The spilling of innocent blood. That knowledge made her stomach turn. As a ninja, she was accustomed to taking the lives of others, but only her enemies. Never an innocent. The very thought of killing in cold blood sent a chill up her spine. How could anyone be so heartless as to do something like that? To be a ninja, she’d had to kill of a part of her emotions, and even then, it was still difficult to take a life. What kind of monster was this Hidan? Even if the reward was immortality, it was still too high of a price.
She realized then that, regardless of how kind Deidara seemed sometimes, the members of Akatsuki really were criminals. What had she been dragged into?
---
Mika jumped to the ground outside of the base, managing to keep her footing this time. She looked over at Deidara, who had shrank the bird back down and returned it to the pouch at his waist.
He unsealed the door of the base and disappeared inside. Mika followed slowly, letting her eyes become adjusted to the dim light. Suddenly, her neck began to prickle, and she froze, her hand instinctively moving towards the shuriken holster strapped to her leg. Someone was watching her. Looking around, she met a cool red-violet gaze. It belonged to a young man with short silver hair that was slicked back. He was sitting in one of the chairs at the table, leaned back in it with his arms crossed. Around his neck was a forehead protector with the symbol of Yugakure. It took her a moment to recognize it; that was a symbol that she hadn’t seen in a long time. From there, her eyes were drawn to the necklace he wore: a circumscribed triangle within a circle.
Sitting two chairs down from him was another figure. She couldn't tell much about him; his dark face was mainly obscured by a black mask. His eyes, however, were chilling. The irises were a florescent green, and around the iris, instead of white, the color was dark red. His forehead protector bore the symbol of Takigakure.
Deidara went over to the table and took a seat across from the one that was still watching Mika. With a sigh, he stretched out his legs, closing his eye.
"Who the hell is she?" The silence was broken by a voice that carried a hint of annoyance, and more than a little arrogance. The red-violet gaze flickered over her forehead protector, then her cloak. "We have a new member, huh?"
"Yes. She's taking Master Sasori's place as my partner, un." He looked back at her. "Mika, come over here and meet Hidan and Kakuzu."
Mika's back stiffened as she looked at Hidan. This was the immortal? That would explain the strange chill that was emanating from him… Slowly, stiffly, she walked over to the table and sat down beside Deidara.
"Five days since Sasori was killed and you've already found a replacement. You sure move damn fast." Hidan leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table, arching one silver eyebrow in what Mika thought was amusement.
Deidara looked up at him, brief irritation flaring in his gaze. "You know as well as I do that we can't afford to lose any more members at this point. Everyone is needed now that we're capturing the Tailed Beasts, un."
"And what makes you think she'll be good enough to be a member? Have you even tested her yet? She’ll probably get herself killed her first time out." This deep voice came from Kakuzu. Mika looked over at him, silent. Something about him told her to keep her mouth shut; he was dangerous.
"She's a medic. No one else knows how to heal, and we're going to be entering dangerous times. We'll need her," Deidara responded, crossing his arms.
Mika leaned forward and put her head on the table, expecting another stinging retort at her expense. A moment later, however, she heard Deidara stand up.
"Come on, let's go put the ring up, un," he said to her. He wanted to get her away from Hidan and Kakuzu before she said something that she would regret. Knowing her, eventually, one of them would say something that would touch on her pride, and retaliation, with these two, could be fatal.
Raising her head, Mika looked at him for a moment, then got up to follow him back to his hall. As she walked, she looked back over her shoulder towards the anteroom. Those two gave her the chills. Being immortal, it was just...unnatural. It was a relief to be able to get away from them. Despite what Deidara thought, she had no intention of starting a fight. Normally, she would have argued back, defending herself. But in this case, the wise choice was to keep quiet.
Deidara opened the door to his room and stepped aside, letting her enter first. Following behind her, he closed the door, then locked it behind them. He had waited long enough. She was getting comfortable around him now, and he needed to put his plans into action before they were sent out on their next mission. If he was careful – extremely careful – he would be able to get away with what he was planning to do.
Mika froze when she heard the lock click. Turning, she narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you doing?" She was almost certain that she knew… But he wouldn’t do something like that, would he? Sure, he had kissed her once, but he hadn’t shown any interest in her after that. Her imagination was just running away with her. There could be a dozen reasons why he’d locked the door.
Going over to the bed, he unsnapped the buttons on his cloak, then took it off. "Just making sure we won't be disturbed, un."
"What should I do with the ring?" she asked, her mouth going dry at his words. She already knew what he would say, but she needed something to distract herself, and talking was the best way to do that.
"Hold on to it. That was just an excuse to get out of there. Given a few more minutes, Hidan would have said something you wouldn't have liked. He's never been one for subtlety." Deidara stepped closer to her, and reached out with one hand to slowly unbutton her cloak. Once that was done, he took her chin in one hand, holding her still. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss.
This kiss was different from the first one. Before, it had lasted only a moment; he had been testing her, seeing if she would let him get away with it. But now, he wanted to go further; to see exactly how far she would let him go. He was determined to bind her to him; that way, he wouldn't have to worry about her betraying them. She wouldn't give away someone she was tied to. Or at least, that was what he told himself. That was the only reason he was doing this.
Without breaking the kiss, he took his hand from her chin and pushed the cloak from her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground.
Mika's heart was racing. Why was he doing this? What should she do? Her body was beginning to heat up, and she felt her will to resist begin to slip away. Why was he having this effect on her? At first, she wanted to push him away; to demand that he keep away from her. But now…
Finally, Deidara pulled away, but instead of stepping completely back, he pulled her shirt off of her left shoulder, exposing the skin beneath. His left arm went around her, pulling her flush against him. He smiled when he felt how fast her heart was beating. It seemed that his plan was working. All this time, he’d known that she hadn’t been indifferent to him. The signs were subtle – she might not even have recognized them, herself, but he had.
Leaning forward again, he brushed her hair back off of her shoulder, then latched on to the juncture of her neck and shoulder, sucking lightly on it.
Mika's eyes closed at the feeling of electricity that was beginning to shoot through her body. She felt his teeth scrape lightly across her skin, and a shiver ran up her spine. That felt wonderful. Her head tilted to the side to give him better access, and she slowly reached up, wrapping her arms around him.
Deidara pulled away for a moment, a pleased smirk on his face. "You like that, un?" It was more of a statement than a question, and Mika gave a quiet sigh in response, closing her eyes. He kissed her again, tracing her bottom lip with his tongue, demanding entrance.
After a moment's hesitation, she opened her mouth for him, and he slipped inside, exploring slowly. His bangs tickled her face, and she reached up to brush them to the side.
Carefully, his right hand crept underneath her shirt, and he pushed up the thin mesh undershirt she wore. He ran a finger down her spine, making a wave of goosebumps rise on her skin. His hand rose higher on her back, and he came in contact with the bindings she wore beneath her shirt. Stroking a path back down her spine, he broke the kiss and removed his hand from under her shirt, placing it lightly on her hip. Backing up slowly, he pulled her over to the bed and sat down on it, pulling her into his lap.
Mika was trembling slightly; he could feel it. But was she shaking because she was scared, or because of his touch? Well, one way to find out. He didn’t think she would ask him to stop; at least not yet. He was being careful not to scare her, watching for the slightest hint that he was pushing her too far.
"Do you want to keep going?" he whispered in her ear, his voice silky.
She was silent for a moment. His words were setting her blood on fire, and she knew that it would only get better if she let him continue. He was seducing her, and the worst part was, she didn’t care. "Yes, but..."
"But what?" He leaned forward and began to nibble on her neck, eliciting a soft moan from her.
"I've never...been with anyone before. At least not all the way," she said, almost inaudibly. She had gone as far as it was possible to go, but had never lost her virginity. And even then, it had only been once. But curiosity was getting the best of her; she wanted to know what it would be like with him, but she was unbelievably nervous. How could she let him do something like this? After all that he’d done to her; taking her from her home, locking up, threatening her life… And yet, despite all of that, she was still attracted to him, more than she had ever been to anyone else.
Deidara pulled away, looking at her with an expression close to surprise. "You're a virgin?" She nodded once. Well, this was unexpected…but not necessarily a bad thing. Quite the opposite, in fact. This would be better than he thought. If he was her first, and he did it correctly, they would form a very strong bond. Her loyalty was almost guaranteed, now.
He thought for a second, considering his options. Though it would set things back a little, in the end, it would work to his advantage. But he would have to take things slower than he’d planned; it would now have to be at her pace. If he pushed her too fast, it would shatter any chance he had of forming that bond with her. Still, that wasn't a problem. He would enjoy breaking her down. Soon, she would be begging him to take her.
"I'll tell you what. We'll keep going, but only as far as you're comfortable with. Tell me to stop, and I will, un," he said, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face; a gesture she found oddly sweet.
She nodded slowly. There was no harm in going just a little further, was there? After all, he’d said that he would stop, if she asked him to. He wouldn’t push her beyond what she was willing to let him do. And besides, she’d been alone for a long time. "Okay."
Wrapping one arm around her back, he resituated himself, moving further back on the bed, coming to a stop with his back resting against the wall, and his legs stretched out in front of him. Adjusting his hold on her, he put one of her legs on either side of his hips so that she was straddling him.
This position gave him easy access to her neck…or it would, if her shirt wasn't in the way. He tugged on the material experimentally. It was loose; he would be able to work around it. But the mesh shirt underneath would have to go. It was too tight. Pulling her overshirt to the side, he traced the neckline of the mesh shirt.
"This needs to come off. It's in the way," he told her.
She considered this for a moment, then pulled her arms into the sleeves of her overshirt. With some difficulty, she managed to pull the mesh shirt off without removing the overshirt.
Deidara clenched his teeth. In taking off the shirt, she had been moving her lower body as well, and it was causing a delicious amount of friction between them. The feeling was causing his heartbeat to speed up, and a thrill went through his body. Did she know what she was doing…? Maybe he had been underestimating her this entire time.
Mika froze as she settled back down into his lap. That feeling… She couldn't help but smirk as she felt him press against her inner thighs. So he liked that, did he? Feeling bolder, she leaned forward, resting her left hand on his chest and her right hand on the wall. She kissed him gently, holding it for only an instant, then breaking away and trailing down his neck. Now it was her turn to make him squirm. It was high time she exacted revenge for all that he’d done to her up to this point. She nudged at his neck, making him tilt his head to the side. Finding his pulse point, she began to suck on it gently, tracing patterns on his skin with her tongue.
Deidara's hands came up to rest on her waist, and he sighed in pleasure. She was actually pretty good at that. His grip tightened as she pushed her hips against him, and he inhaled sharply. What had gotten into her? He figured she would be shy, but no. A wicked grin spread across his face. This was going to be fun. Even now, she was determined to fight back against him. Although, if she didn't stop, he wouldn't be able to control himself. His blood was beginning to boil from the treatment she was giving him. He had to stop her; get back in control.
Pushing her backwards slightly, he smirked at her. "My turn," he said. He wrapped his arms firmly around her and placed a single kiss on the hollow of her throat. He trailed down, alternately licking and kissing her skin until he came to the top of her bindings, now visible beneath her low-cut shirt.
Mika tilted her head back, closing her eyes and humming quietly in appreciation.
His right hand left her back and trailed slowly up her ribcage. Cautiously, he moved his hand towards her left breast; unsure if she would let him actually touch her. He moved his mouth back to her throat, sucking on the sensitive skin. To his surprise, she let his hand cover her breast and squeeze gently.
She gasped at the feeling, the fingers of one hand digging into his shoulder as a jolt of pleasure shot through her.
After a moment, he leaned to the side, shifting Mika from his lap to the bed. The pressure she was putting on him was driving him crazy, situating her like that had been a bad idea; he should have seen that coming. But he hadn’t expected to have such a strong reaction to her…or any reaction, truth be told. He was only doing this to protect himself, and the rest of Akatsuki from betrayal. …right?
Kneeling over her, he put one knee between her legs, and the other on the outside of her right thigh. Now that he had her pinned beneath him, he could continue the exploration of her body. She thought she could toy with him, did she? He would show her that she was wrong. He was the one in control here, not her. She had to learn to play by his rules.
Deidara's right hand rested on her stomach, and he leaned down to nibble on her neck.
Mika's arms went around his shoulders, holding him to her. She found that having her neck kissed was something she enjoyed immensely. Her eyes closed as she felt his hand creep up her body to squeeze her breast once more.
"Why are you doing this?" she whispered breathlessly. She had to know what his purpose was, and why he had seemed almost indifferent to her before now. It was all so sudden.
He raised his head, his hand going back down to her stomach. "You don't like it?" That couldn’t possibly be true; her reactions were obvious. She was enjoying what he was doing, even if she wouldn’t say it aloud.
She shook her head. "I never said that. I just want to know why." One of her hands slipped from his shoulder and rested over his own hand, assuring him that she wasn't upset, merely curious. Watching him through half-closed eyes, she waited for his answer.
He smirked a little. "I just want to show you that being in Akatsuki has its rewards, un." He silenced any reply she was about to give by kissing her again. It was rough, but not at all unpleasant, and left her body tingling.
Mika froze as she felt his hand begin to trail down over her stomach, towards the apex of her thighs. No. Not yet.
She gave a soft cry of near-panic as his fingers ghosted over her clothed center; breaking the kiss and bringing her hands up to push him away.
He quickly removed his hand from her body, breaking off all contact with her. It seemed he had gone just a little too far. Damn it all… And she had been enjoying it so much, too. He sat back, watching her silently. What would she do?
She slid off the bed, going over to the door and leaning against it, her arms crossed almost protectively over her body. "I'm sorry, I...I'm just nervous."
Deidara watched her calmly. "It's all right. We can take this slow, un. There’s no need to rush. After all, we have all the time in the world."
Besides, this means that I can play with you a little longer.
She sighed deeply, not meeting his gaze. Things had been going so perfectly. But she hadn’t expected him to go that far quite so soon. It had frightened her. "Is there a shower or something I can use? I just...need to be alone for a while, to think things over."
He nodded. "Across the hall, two doors down on the left."
"Thank you." Unlocking the door, she stepped out into the corridor, her brow furrowed and her eyes troubled. Maybe a relaxing shower would help her figure out why she was feeling this way.
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Deidara was shocked to see what had become of the cave that they had used as a base to seal the One-Tail. All that was left of it was a rocky arch that had once been the entrance. The rest had caved in from the intense battle that had taken place.
He looked around, his eye narrowed. There were dried blood spatters everywhere; some mixed with a thick purple liquid which he instantly recognized as the unique poison Sasori favored, and he could see bits and pieces of smashed puppets. Some of them, he noticed, were Sasori's, but many, from what he could tell, were unfamiliar. Had Sasori collected more puppets than he originally thought? Going over to one of them, he nudged it with his foot. No, the signature red scorpion was missing. These must belong to that old hag. His gaze stopped on the back wall, and he walked forward slowly.
"Master Sasori..." he said quietly.
Mika looked over at him in surprise. She followed his gaze to see a figure cloaked in brown pinned to the wall by what looked like the head of some kind of giant animal. But something was wrong. Taking a couple of steps closer, she saw what was so strange. The figure was a puppet. As she drew closer, she could make out its features. Short red hair peeked out from beneath the cloak-like piece of fabric he wore. She could see the joints connected to his body, and a large circular hole in the left side of his chest. His eyes were nothing but empty holes. This was Sasori? His appearance fit with the description of him she had been given in the village, but... He had left Sunagakure twenty years ago. This boy looked no older than fifteen. And then there was the fact that Sasori had been human.
"That's Sasori? But how-?"
"He turned himself into a puppet, un. I told you before that Master Sasori believed that art should be eternal. He didn't want to grow old, so he changed himself into one of his art pieces. Being a puppet also helped him in battle. Do you see that?" He pointed to the hole in the puppet’s chest. “That was where his heart was. No matter how many times his body was injured, as long as his heart was intact, he would remain unharmed,” Deidara explained.
For a moment, Mika saw something that she swore was sadness flash across his face, but before she could get a better look, it disappeared, leaving him impassive once more.
Deidara walked towards Sasori, his face devoid of any emotion. He looked at the odd puppet head that had clamped its teeth around Sasori's body. Quickly, he took the ring from Sasori's thumb, then turned back to Mika. He handed it to her. "Hold on to this. There's something I have to do."
Mika looked down at the ring. It was identical to Deidara’s except for one thing. Inscribed into the middle was the character for 'jewel'. Looking back up again, she watched as Deidara picked his way carefully around the perimeter of the cave. He was placing a lump of clay every few feet. She vaguely noticed that they were shaped like scorpions.
"What are you doing?" she asked as he placed the last pieces of clay down and came back to her.
"Setting up a grave, un," he replied. "Let's go." Outside, the bird hovered a couple of feet above the surface of the water. He went over to it and leapt up onto its back, Mika right behind him. Almost immediately, the bird rose several hundred feet into the air, making the bottom of Mika's stomach drop out. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms tightly around Deidara’s waist, holding onto him.
Deidara formed one more seal and held it, looking down at the destroyed cave. Mika recognized it as the seal he had made when he detonated the small bomb he’d used to knock her unconscious just before he captured her. "It's the least I can do for Master Sasori. This way, no one will disturb him. Katsu!"
The explosion sent a rippling shockwave through the air, making the bird tremble beneath them. Rocks crushed to pieces by the blast rained down, disappearing into a cloud of dust. When the cloud settled, there was no trace of Sasori or the cave. There was only a crater left, filled with rubble.
Deidara looked over at her. Strangely enough, he didn’t seem to notice the deathgrip she currently had on him. "Do you have the ring?" Mika pried one of her hands out from around him, holding it up. In her palm rested the ring. But instead of taking it, he merely shook his head. "Hold on to it. If Leader doesn't want it back, it'll be yours, un."
Mika looked down at it, then slipped it into the pouch at her waist. Slowly, she released the hold she had on him. She sat back, propping herself up with her hands. "So what do we do now?" she asked, her voice still slightly shaky.
"We go back to the base and wait for Zetsu to bring us a new mission from Leader. It won't take long; we have to find and capture the Tailed Beasts as soon as we can." He sat down a short distance away, propping his arm up on one bent knee.
"That was easier than I thought it would be," Mika said, half to herself. “I wonder why they didn't take Sasori back to the village. He's a missing-nin, and one with unusual qualities. You would think the medics would want to study him."
Deidara shrugged one shoulder. "It's a good thing they didn't take him back. Leader said we had to get that ring, even if it meant a second invasion, un."
Mika glanced over at him, arching one eyebrow. "But you were badly injured in the first one, and Sasori was ultimately killed. Can you handle a second, now that the village’s security is even higher?" Besides that, she wasn’t sure she was ready to return to the village, especially as an enemy. The thought of having to injure, probably even kill, ninja she had grown up with made her feel sick.
A wicked grin spread across his face. "I wouldn't be fighting them this time. We'd use two teams. I would let Hidan and Kakuzu handle the opposition, while I went for the ring. Those two are the most efficient team in Akatsuki."
"How so?"
Deidara looked over at her, and she could see dark amusement in his eye. "Hidan is immortal, and Kakuzu can be fatally wounded up to four times and not have to worry about dying. Besides that, they both love fighting. No one can stand up to them when they get serious."
Mika's eyes widened. "Immortal? But that's...impossible. There's no such thing as immortality."
"There's at least one way to gain it, and Hidan found it. Of course, it involves regular human sacrifices, but that's a small price to pay for never dying, don't you think?"
A lump formed in her throat. So that was the secret to immortality. The spilling of innocent blood. That knowledge made her stomach turn. As a ninja, she was accustomed to taking the lives of others, but only her enemies. Never an innocent. The very thought of killing in cold blood sent a chill up her spine. How could anyone be so heartless as to do something like that? To be a ninja, she’d had to kill of a part of her emotions, and even then, it was still difficult to take a life. What kind of monster was this Hidan? Even if the reward was immortality, it was still too high of a price.
She realized then that, regardless of how kind Deidara seemed sometimes, the members of Akatsuki really were criminals. What had she been dragged into?
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Mika jumped to the ground outside of the base, managing to keep her footing this time. She looked over at Deidara, who had shrank the bird back down and returned it to the pouch at his waist.
He unsealed the door of the base and disappeared inside. Mika followed slowly, letting her eyes become adjusted to the dim light. Suddenly, her neck began to prickle, and she froze, her hand instinctively moving towards the shuriken holster strapped to her leg. Someone was watching her. Looking around, she met a cool red-violet gaze. It belonged to a young man with short silver hair that was slicked back. He was sitting in one of the chairs at the table, leaned back in it with his arms crossed. Around his neck was a forehead protector with the symbol of Yugakure. It took her a moment to recognize it; that was a symbol that she hadn’t seen in a long time. From there, her eyes were drawn to the necklace he wore: a circumscribed triangle within a circle.
Sitting two chairs down from him was another figure. She couldn't tell much about him; his dark face was mainly obscured by a black mask. His eyes, however, were chilling. The irises were a florescent green, and around the iris, instead of white, the color was dark red. His forehead protector bore the symbol of Takigakure.
Deidara went over to the table and took a seat across from the one that was still watching Mika. With a sigh, he stretched out his legs, closing his eye.
"Who the hell is she?" The silence was broken by a voice that carried a hint of annoyance, and more than a little arrogance. The red-violet gaze flickered over her forehead protector, then her cloak. "We have a new member, huh?"
"Yes. She's taking Master Sasori's place as my partner, un." He looked back at her. "Mika, come over here and meet Hidan and Kakuzu."
Mika's back stiffened as she looked at Hidan. This was the immortal? That would explain the strange chill that was emanating from him… Slowly, stiffly, she walked over to the table and sat down beside Deidara.
"Five days since Sasori was killed and you've already found a replacement. You sure move damn fast." Hidan leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table, arching one silver eyebrow in what Mika thought was amusement.
Deidara looked up at him, brief irritation flaring in his gaze. "You know as well as I do that we can't afford to lose any more members at this point. Everyone is needed now that we're capturing the Tailed Beasts, un."
"And what makes you think she'll be good enough to be a member? Have you even tested her yet? She’ll probably get herself killed her first time out." This deep voice came from Kakuzu. Mika looked over at him, silent. Something about him told her to keep her mouth shut; he was dangerous.
"She's a medic. No one else knows how to heal, and we're going to be entering dangerous times. We'll need her," Deidara responded, crossing his arms.
Mika leaned forward and put her head on the table, expecting another stinging retort at her expense. A moment later, however, she heard Deidara stand up.
"Come on, let's go put the ring up, un," he said to her. He wanted to get her away from Hidan and Kakuzu before she said something that she would regret. Knowing her, eventually, one of them would say something that would touch on her pride, and retaliation, with these two, could be fatal.
Raising her head, Mika looked at him for a moment, then got up to follow him back to his hall. As she walked, she looked back over her shoulder towards the anteroom. Those two gave her the chills. Being immortal, it was just...unnatural. It was a relief to be able to get away from them. Despite what Deidara thought, she had no intention of starting a fight. Normally, she would have argued back, defending herself. But in this case, the wise choice was to keep quiet.
Deidara opened the door to his room and stepped aside, letting her enter first. Following behind her, he closed the door, then locked it behind them. He had waited long enough. She was getting comfortable around him now, and he needed to put his plans into action before they were sent out on their next mission. If he was careful – extremely careful – he would be able to get away with what he was planning to do.
Mika froze when she heard the lock click. Turning, she narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you doing?" She was almost certain that she knew… But he wouldn’t do something like that, would he? Sure, he had kissed her once, but he hadn’t shown any interest in her after that. Her imagination was just running away with her. There could be a dozen reasons why he’d locked the door.
Going over to the bed, he unsnapped the buttons on his cloak, then took it off. "Just making sure we won't be disturbed, un."
"What should I do with the ring?" she asked, her mouth going dry at his words. She already knew what he would say, but she needed something to distract herself, and talking was the best way to do that.
"Hold on to it. That was just an excuse to get out of there. Given a few more minutes, Hidan would have said something you wouldn't have liked. He's never been one for subtlety." Deidara stepped closer to her, and reached out with one hand to slowly unbutton her cloak. Once that was done, he took her chin in one hand, holding her still. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss.
This kiss was different from the first one. Before, it had lasted only a moment; he had been testing her, seeing if she would let him get away with it. But now, he wanted to go further; to see exactly how far she would let him go. He was determined to bind her to him; that way, he wouldn't have to worry about her betraying them. She wouldn't give away someone she was tied to. Or at least, that was what he told himself. That was the only reason he was doing this.
Without breaking the kiss, he took his hand from her chin and pushed the cloak from her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground.
Mika's heart was racing. Why was he doing this? What should she do? Her body was beginning to heat up, and she felt her will to resist begin to slip away. Why was he having this effect on her? At first, she wanted to push him away; to demand that he keep away from her. But now…
Finally, Deidara pulled away, but instead of stepping completely back, he pulled her shirt off of her left shoulder, exposing the skin beneath. His left arm went around her, pulling her flush against him. He smiled when he felt how fast her heart was beating. It seemed that his plan was working. All this time, he’d known that she hadn’t been indifferent to him. The signs were subtle – she might not even have recognized them, herself, but he had.
Leaning forward again, he brushed her hair back off of her shoulder, then latched on to the juncture of her neck and shoulder, sucking lightly on it.
Mika's eyes closed at the feeling of electricity that was beginning to shoot through her body. She felt his teeth scrape lightly across her skin, and a shiver ran up her spine. That felt wonderful. Her head tilted to the side to give him better access, and she slowly reached up, wrapping her arms around him.
Deidara pulled away for a moment, a pleased smirk on his face. "You like that, un?" It was more of a statement than a question, and Mika gave a quiet sigh in response, closing her eyes. He kissed her again, tracing her bottom lip with his tongue, demanding entrance.
After a moment's hesitation, she opened her mouth for him, and he slipped inside, exploring slowly. His bangs tickled her face, and she reached up to brush them to the side.
Carefully, his right hand crept underneath her shirt, and he pushed up the thin mesh undershirt she wore. He ran a finger down her spine, making a wave of goosebumps rise on her skin. His hand rose higher on her back, and he came in contact with the bindings she wore beneath her shirt. Stroking a path back down her spine, he broke the kiss and removed his hand from under her shirt, placing it lightly on her hip. Backing up slowly, he pulled her over to the bed and sat down on it, pulling her into his lap.
Mika was trembling slightly; he could feel it. But was she shaking because she was scared, or because of his touch? Well, one way to find out. He didn’t think she would ask him to stop; at least not yet. He was being careful not to scare her, watching for the slightest hint that he was pushing her too far.
"Do you want to keep going?" he whispered in her ear, his voice silky.
She was silent for a moment. His words were setting her blood on fire, and she knew that it would only get better if she let him continue. He was seducing her, and the worst part was, she didn’t care. "Yes, but..."
"But what?" He leaned forward and began to nibble on her neck, eliciting a soft moan from her.
"I've never...been with anyone before. At least not all the way," she said, almost inaudibly. She had gone as far as it was possible to go, but had never lost her virginity. And even then, it had only been once. But curiosity was getting the best of her; she wanted to know what it would be like with him, but she was unbelievably nervous. How could she let him do something like this? After all that he’d done to her; taking her from her home, locking up, threatening her life… And yet, despite all of that, she was still attracted to him, more than she had ever been to anyone else.
Deidara pulled away, looking at her with an expression close to surprise. "You're a virgin?" She nodded once. Well, this was unexpected…but not necessarily a bad thing. Quite the opposite, in fact. This would be better than he thought. If he was her first, and he did it correctly, they would form a very strong bond. Her loyalty was almost guaranteed, now.
He thought for a second, considering his options. Though it would set things back a little, in the end, it would work to his advantage. But he would have to take things slower than he’d planned; it would now have to be at her pace. If he pushed her too fast, it would shatter any chance he had of forming that bond with her. Still, that wasn't a problem. He would enjoy breaking her down. Soon, she would be begging him to take her.
"I'll tell you what. We'll keep going, but only as far as you're comfortable with. Tell me to stop, and I will, un," he said, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face; a gesture she found oddly sweet.
She nodded slowly. There was no harm in going just a little further, was there? After all, he’d said that he would stop, if she asked him to. He wouldn’t push her beyond what she was willing to let him do. And besides, she’d been alone for a long time. "Okay."
Wrapping one arm around her back, he resituated himself, moving further back on the bed, coming to a stop with his back resting against the wall, and his legs stretched out in front of him. Adjusting his hold on her, he put one of her legs on either side of his hips so that she was straddling him.
This position gave him easy access to her neck…or it would, if her shirt wasn't in the way. He tugged on the material experimentally. It was loose; he would be able to work around it. But the mesh shirt underneath would have to go. It was too tight. Pulling her overshirt to the side, he traced the neckline of the mesh shirt.
"This needs to come off. It's in the way," he told her.
She considered this for a moment, then pulled her arms into the sleeves of her overshirt. With some difficulty, she managed to pull the mesh shirt off without removing the overshirt.
Deidara clenched his teeth. In taking off the shirt, she had been moving her lower body as well, and it was causing a delicious amount of friction between them. The feeling was causing his heartbeat to speed up, and a thrill went through his body. Did she know what she was doing…? Maybe he had been underestimating her this entire time.
Mika froze as she settled back down into his lap. That feeling… She couldn't help but smirk as she felt him press against her inner thighs. So he liked that, did he? Feeling bolder, she leaned forward, resting her left hand on his chest and her right hand on the wall. She kissed him gently, holding it for only an instant, then breaking away and trailing down his neck. Now it was her turn to make him squirm. It was high time she exacted revenge for all that he’d done to her up to this point. She nudged at his neck, making him tilt his head to the side. Finding his pulse point, she began to suck on it gently, tracing patterns on his skin with her tongue.
Deidara's hands came up to rest on her waist, and he sighed in pleasure. She was actually pretty good at that. His grip tightened as she pushed her hips against him, and he inhaled sharply. What had gotten into her? He figured she would be shy, but no. A wicked grin spread across his face. This was going to be fun. Even now, she was determined to fight back against him. Although, if she didn't stop, he wouldn't be able to control himself. His blood was beginning to boil from the treatment she was giving him. He had to stop her; get back in control.
Pushing her backwards slightly, he smirked at her. "My turn," he said. He wrapped his arms firmly around her and placed a single kiss on the hollow of her throat. He trailed down, alternately licking and kissing her skin until he came to the top of her bindings, now visible beneath her low-cut shirt.
Mika tilted her head back, closing her eyes and humming quietly in appreciation.
His right hand left her back and trailed slowly up her ribcage. Cautiously, he moved his hand towards her left breast; unsure if she would let him actually touch her. He moved his mouth back to her throat, sucking on the sensitive skin. To his surprise, she let his hand cover her breast and squeeze gently.
She gasped at the feeling, the fingers of one hand digging into his shoulder as a jolt of pleasure shot through her.
After a moment, he leaned to the side, shifting Mika from his lap to the bed. The pressure she was putting on him was driving him crazy, situating her like that had been a bad idea; he should have seen that coming. But he hadn’t expected to have such a strong reaction to her…or any reaction, truth be told. He was only doing this to protect himself, and the rest of Akatsuki from betrayal. …right?
Kneeling over her, he put one knee between her legs, and the other on the outside of her right thigh. Now that he had her pinned beneath him, he could continue the exploration of her body. She thought she could toy with him, did she? He would show her that she was wrong. He was the one in control here, not her. She had to learn to play by his rules.
Deidara's right hand rested on her stomach, and he leaned down to nibble on her neck.
Mika's arms went around his shoulders, holding him to her. She found that having her neck kissed was something she enjoyed immensely. Her eyes closed as she felt his hand creep up her body to squeeze her breast once more.
"Why are you doing this?" she whispered breathlessly. She had to know what his purpose was, and why he had seemed almost indifferent to her before now. It was all so sudden.
He raised his head, his hand going back down to her stomach. "You don't like it?" That couldn’t possibly be true; her reactions were obvious. She was enjoying what he was doing, even if she wouldn’t say it aloud.
She shook her head. "I never said that. I just want to know why." One of her hands slipped from his shoulder and rested over his own hand, assuring him that she wasn't upset, merely curious. Watching him through half-closed eyes, she waited for his answer.
He smirked a little. "I just want to show you that being in Akatsuki has its rewards, un." He silenced any reply she was about to give by kissing her again. It was rough, but not at all unpleasant, and left her body tingling.
Mika froze as she felt his hand begin to trail down over her stomach, towards the apex of her thighs. No. Not yet.
She gave a soft cry of near-panic as his fingers ghosted over her clothed center; breaking the kiss and bringing her hands up to push him away.
He quickly removed his hand from her body, breaking off all contact with her. It seemed he had gone just a little too far. Damn it all… And she had been enjoying it so much, too. He sat back, watching her silently. What would she do?
She slid off the bed, going over to the door and leaning against it, her arms crossed almost protectively over her body. "I'm sorry, I...I'm just nervous."
Deidara watched her calmly. "It's all right. We can take this slow, un. There’s no need to rush. After all, we have all the time in the world."
Besides, this means that I can play with you a little longer.
She sighed deeply, not meeting his gaze. Things had been going so perfectly. But she hadn’t expected him to go that far quite so soon. It had frightened her. "Is there a shower or something I can use? I just...need to be alone for a while, to think things over."
He nodded. "Across the hall, two doors down on the left."
"Thank you." Unlocking the door, she stepped out into the corridor, her brow furrowed and her eyes troubled. Maybe a relaxing shower would help her figure out why she was feeling this way.
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