Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows of Darkness ❯ Chapter Nine: After the Battle ( Chapter 9 )
[ 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: 02.16.2012 | Updated On: 02.17.2012 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.7K | Visits: 133 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.16.2012 | Updated On: 02.17.2012 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.7K | Visits: 133 | 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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Shortly before dawn, Mika heard footsteps coming closer. Her head raised, and she looked around, trying to pinpoint the direction of the sound. A moment later, she spotted a shape that was just a bit darker than the surrounding shadows.
That shape materialized into Deidara. He gave her a small smile, though it quickly faded when he saw the state Hidan was in. His visible eyebrow shot up in surprise. “And here I thought Hidan might have been too tough of an opponent for you to take on so soon. Looks like I underestimated you, un.”
The immortal was now sitting in a pool of his own blood, and bordering on unconsciousness. At the sound of Deidara’s voice, he looked up. “Fuck you,” he spat, his voice hoarse. “This doesn’t mean a damn thing. I went easy on her. If I hadn’t been forbidden to do any actual harm, she’d be dead by now.”
Deidara moved over to the immortal, looking him over. The severe burns that had been on his body had almost completely healed, but Deidara could still make out the faint scars. He had seen the violent explosion from where he and Kakuzu had been waiting. It looked like Hidan hadn’t been able to escape it. “Since when do you follow orders? I’d think you would jump at the chance to defy Leader. Should I tell Kakuzu that you’ve finally learned how to behave yourself and be obedient? He’ll be happy to hear that, I’m sure.”
Hidan growled, straining against the whip that still held him. The poison had begun to wear off, giving him limited motion. “If you do that, I’ll kill you!” His efforts caused another trickle of blood to emerge from the corner of his mouth, dripping down onto his already stained chest.
Deidara grinned almost sadistically. “You should be still. If you lose any more blood, you might really die.” It was rare for him to get Hidan in a position like this, and he intended to take advantage of it. He knew better than to push too far, but he thought he could get away with this much, if he was careful.
Taking note of Hidan’s absent cloak, he frowned thoughtfully. “It looks like that explosion really did a number on you. Were you caught completely in the blast?” He had been to the site, just before coming here, and had seen the devastation that had resulted. If it had been anyone but Hidan, they wouldn’t have survived. “That’s one fatal blow, from the explosion. So that would total up to three, counting these. That pike looks like it’s piercing your heart, and I know your scythe is hitting at least one vital organ, un.” He nodded to Mika. “You can let him go now.”
Mika stood up, unwrapping the whip from around Hidan. It vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving her empty-handed. “So, do I pass my test?”
Deidara shook his head. “We’ll have to let Leader decide that. Zetsu is waiting for us at the base; he’ll take our report back, un.” His gaze traveled down to her side, where her shirt was stained with blood. “You should also get that looked at. Do you have enough chakra to heal yourself?”
“I don’t know,” she answered, shrugging. “I’d have to take a look at it; see how deep it is. I might be able to heal it on the surface, to stop the bleeding. Don’t worry, though. It won’t stop us from traveling. With a light bandage, I’ll be fine.”
Hidan pulled himself to his feet, ripping the weapons out of his body with only a slight growl of pain. “Hey, don’t forget what I told you. If I see my chance, I’ll take it.”
Mika watched him silently for several seconds. “If you’ll give me time to regain a bit of my chakra, I can heal you. I know that you heal quickly, but you’ve already lost a lot of blood.”
He narrowed his red-violet eyes in suspicion. “Why the hell would you want to do something like that? I’ve already told you that I’m looking for a chance to kill you. You should be wanting to keep as far away from me as you can, and here you are, offering to heal me? Are you insane?”
She shrugged. “It was just an offer; you don’t have to take it. But if I pass this test, we’ll be comrades. I was taught to take care of my comrades, no matter who they are. It was my fault that you were injured like that, so I should be the one to take responsibility for taking care of your wounds.”
Hidan waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll pass. I don’t need your help.” Moving stiffly, he placed his scythe on his back, and strapped the pike to his waist. He started to walk away, but then paused, looking back over his shoulder. “Don’t tell Kakuzu about this, got it? The last thing I need is for him to think that I’m some sort of damn weakling. He bitches at me enough as it is.”
Despite herself, a brief smile came to her face. “I won’t say anything, but won’t he find out anyway, when we hear whether or not I passed the test? Not to mention your wounds, unless you plan to hide out somewhere until you heal completely. I’m sure he’ll be able to piece together what happened, even if we stay quiet.”
“I don’t give a damn; I’m not taking that chance. The less he knows, the better.” He grimaced. Of course, he knew better than to think that this would work; Kakuzu had probably known what the outcome of the fight would be before it even began.
Without another word, Hidan turned, disappearing into the forest. Deidara watched him go with one eyebrow arched. “Why did you offer to heal him, really? If you’re hoping to make him change his mind about turning you into a sacrifice, it won’t work. Hidan doesn’t believe in mercy. All he cares about is pleasing his god, and even then, he has limited patience.”
Mika shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just…a medic’s job, to heal someone who’s injured. Regardless of whether they like you or not, you should always do what you can, you know? I’ll admit that I don’t like him; he scares me. And I know that he’ll soon heal on his own, but…” She sighed. “I’m sorry, I know I’m not making much sense. Maybe it’s something only another medic could understand.”
Deidara moved a bit closer to her, resting one hand lightly against her injured side. “Let’s go back to my room and get this looked at, un. You don’t want to get an infection.” He looked her over, realizing that, besides a few superficial scratches, she was otherwise unharmed. “How did you manage to keep him from cutting you to pieces?”
“To be honest, I think he really was holding back when we fought. I did think that he was planning on killing me, once or twice, but he never tried. Not seriously, anyway.” She gestured to her side. “This was just a fluke, if you want to know the truth. We both struck at each other at the same time, and I left my side unguarded. I didn’t think he would actually try to hit me with his scythe at such close range.”
She knew better to think that she was a better fighter than he was; she might have been able to match him in speed, and her whip was more versatile than his scythe, but in terms of strength and ruthlessness, he far outclassed her. His immortality was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, he didn’t have to worry about being injured by his enemies, so he never had to guard himself. But at the same time, this was also a flaw; it made him reckless, enabling his enemies to deal debilitating blows that would slow him down, and eventually give them the upper hand. That, she was sure, was how she had won. He had been careless, and he had also underestimated her.
But he had also been correct in saying that, had he not been under a restriction, he would have killed her. She had managed to hit him three times; would that be enough to prove herself to Pein?
She followed Deidara silently back through the trees, towards the base. “How long will it take for…uh… Leader to make his decision about me?” She was hesitant to call Pein by name; none of the others did, and she was afraid that they would view it as disrespectful if she didn’t do the same.
Deidara considered this. “Probably half a day or so, un. It won’t take him that long to decide, but after hearing Zetsu’s report, he’ll most likely hold off on telling us, giving both you and Hidan a chance to recover.”
More like giving me a chance to sweat it out; driving myself insane, wondering whether or not I’m going to be killed… Mika looked away, not sure that she really wanted to know the answer to her next question. “And…if I fail? What will happen to me then?”
He didn’t answer at first, nor did he turn to look at her. “You won’t fail. Three would-be fatal injuries should be more than enough to prove you’re qualified to join us, un.” There was a pause. “But…if you did… You would be given to Hidan, to use in his ritual. You know that he has to make a regular sacrifice to his god in order to retain his immortality? It isn’t simply killing. The ritual is designed specifically to make that person suffer. Usually, if he has the time, he’ll draw out that person’s death, before using a blow through the heart to kill them.” He considered telling her everything, but decided against it; that would take too much time, not to mention making her panic. “Simply put, he has a way to link himself to his opponent. Any damage he does to himself is also done to that person. You can see why immortality would be helpful, in this case.”
Behind him, Mika had turned pale. That was worse than she had imagined… Bad enough simply killing someone, but torturing them? Now that the test was over, the seed of doubt that she had managed to suppress suddenly began to grow. Was that the fate that awaited her? Even if she had managed to get three good hits on him, he had been going easy on her…
As if sensing her fear, Deidara turned to look at her. “You don’t have anything to worry about,” he insisted. “If Leader hadn’t thought you could succeed, he wouldn’t have given you this test. Trust me, un. You’re too valuable for us to throw you away. Think of this more as a formality. We all had to go through something like this.”
She nodded slowly. “Maybe…but weren’t you fighting with the intention of not joining? Death was never an outcome for you. If you had won…”
“Do you really believe that I had a choice? That fight was over the moment they found me. If, by some miracle, I had won, they probably would have eventually killed me, un. I doubt they ever had any intention of letting me go. With Akatsuki, that’s how it works. If you’re talented enough to be chosen by Leader, either you join, or you die. You probably wouldn’t be killed immediately… We would try other ways of convincing you to join us. But if you still refused… Well, why give someone else the opportunity to get a hold of your talents?”
“So Akatsuki has the ‘if we can’t have you, no one can’ mentality? That’s encouraging.”
Deidara gave a short laugh. “Actually, in your case, it is, un. You’ve already agreed to join us. You have the qualifications to be a member; this test was just to prove that to everyone else. If that wasn’t enough, you’re a medic. That fact alone should be enough to convince Leader to let you join us.”
“I hope you’re right. I’m not ready to die just yet.”
By the time they made it back to the base, the sun had begun to rise above the horizon, casting its warm glow over them. Kakuzu was nowhere to be found; Mika figured he must have gone back inside when her test had finished. There was also no sign of Zetsu. Had he been aware of the fight, or had he been waiting inside the entire time?
Noticing her looking around, Deidara gave a half-smile of amusement. “Expecting an attack? You’re safe, I promise, un. Try to relax. Worrying yourself sick won’t do you any good.”
“It isn’t that. I was just wondering where Kakuzu went. I saw him come outside to speak to you, but after that, I don’t know where he went. Did he stay to see the entire fight?” Not that he would have been able to see much; it had taken place deep in the forest. He had probably seen the blast from the explosion, but other than that…
“For a while, he stayed. He thought Hidan would actually go through with killing you as soon as he’d caught up with you, un.” Inwardly, so had he, but he didn’t say this aloud; it might make her think that he didn’t have faith in her abilities. “But when Hidan didn’t come back, he eventually lost interest. He said that he had better things to do than waste his time watching the trees blow in the wind, un.” Unsealing the door to the base, he led her inside, back towards his room.
“So…why did you stay? Kakuzu has a point. If you couldn’t see the fight, why wait outside all day? You didn’t think that I would try to run away or something…?”
He shook his head, opening the door to his room and moving inside. “Not at all. I waited outside because I would end up driving myself insane, wondering if you were all right, un. Even though I couldn’t see what was happening, I kept thinking you might eventually come close to the edge of the forest, where I would be able to hear you. I saw the smoke from the explosion, but that was the only hint I had as to what was going on.”
Mika blinked, stopping in the middle of the room. “You were…worried about me?” For some reason, his words sent a surge of warmth through her. Although she wanted to protest that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, she couldn’t bring herself to snap at him, as she normally would have.
This time, Deidara didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he moved over to the table in the corner, opening a small drawer and reaching inside. After rummaging around for a moment, he pulled out a small tube of cream, and a roll of bandages. “Come here. Take off your overshirt, and sit down on the bed, un.”
“I can do it myself, you know,” she grumbled. But despite her words, she sat down on the edge of the bed, unzipping her overshirt the rest of the way, and letting it slip from her shoulders.
“I know you can. But I want to be the one to take care of you, this one time, un. You can agree to that, can’t you?” He knelt down in front of her, putting the bandage aside on the bed, and raising the hem of her mesh undershirt with his free hand.
She shuddered slightly as the cool air of the room came in contact with her previously-covered skin. The shirt slipped up over the bottom of her ribcage, and she looked down at Deidara, watching him curiously. How far did he intend to raise it up?
The wound – and the bottom curve of her breast - soon came into view. It stretched across the top of her ribs, though it didn’t look too deep. But it was a bit difficult to get a good look at it; she still wore her bindings, beneath the shirt. “I’ll need you to take these off, so I can see it better, un.”
Mika hesitated, then nodded. Reaching behind her, she found the knot, untying the bindings. Slowly, she began to unwind them, being careful to keep herself covered by her shirt. At last, they came free, and she put them aside.
Lightly, he pressed the tips of his fingers against the edges, making Mika give a soft hiss. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I just want to make sure-”
“It didn’t hit the bone,” she said, cutting him off. “It was just a glancing blow.” She fell silent for a moment as he opened the tube of cream, spreading a bit of it carefully over the wound. It stung, but she didn’t protest. A faint minty scent drifted up to her, making her smile. “An antiseptic cream really isn’t necessary,” she mumbled, mostly to herself. “The cut isn’t too deep.”
Deidara glanced up at her curiously. “How did you know what it was? There’s no label on it, un.”
She gave him a half-smile. “I’m a medic, remember? I can tell by the smell of it. I’ve used that on patients so many times I could identify it in my sleep.” Her smile widened. “Besides, putting an antiseptic on a wound is common sense.” Pausing thoughtfully, she tilted her head to the side. “You seem like you know a bit about wounds, yourself. But I guess you’ve all had to learn to fend for yourselves, huh?”
He nodded, tearing off a small length of the bandage and using it to carefully clean the blood off her skin. “More or less. We all know how to take care of minor wounds, but if we’re ever severely injured – like I was when I took you – then we’re in trouble, un. Things are about to get very dangerous, now that we’re collecting the Tailed Beasts, so we can’t be as carefree as we’ve been in the past. We can’t take the chance of one of us being killed.” Tearing another square of bandage off, he carefully fixed it into place over the wound. “Once you’ve recovered your chakra, you can heal that, but leave it as it is for now.”
Mika laughed in amusement. “You really do sound like a medic. Don’t worry, I’m not going to waste any of my chakra. I know my own limits better than anyone.” She leaned back, propping herself up on her hands. “Can I ask you a question? When you first brought me here, you threatened me, in order to convince me to declare my defection from my village. Do you remember that?”
His fingers, which had been gently smoothing the bandage down over her side, went still. “Yes, I remember.” His voice was surprisingly hesitant as he spoke. He sighed. “I’m sorry, about that. It was the only way I had-”
Reaching up, she placed a finger over his mouth, silencing him. “You don’t have to apologize. I didn’t bring it up to make you feel guilty. I just wanted to know if what you said was the truth. About those bombs, I mean. Did you really put them inside of me, or was that just a bluff?”
For a long time, Deidara was silent. “It was the truth. For a short while, at least. Once you marked through your forehead protector, I knew that there was no danger of you trying to leave, un. Besides, where would you have gone? You didn’t know where we had taken you, and you wouldn’t have gotten very far before one of us caught you again.”
Mika nodded slowly. “So, after I did as you wanted, you deactivated them?” Strangely, her voice was completely calm. If anything, the only emotion reflected in it was curiosity.
“That’s right. From that moment, you were completely free, un. You just didn’t know it, apparently.” His fingers slipped downward, running lightly over her bare skin. “I am sorry about that. Threatening you, I mean.” Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against her chest.
She stiffened slightly in surprise, but didn’t pull away from him. Slowly, she reached up, placing one hand behind his head, and curling her fingers through his hair. “If you had told me that in the beginning, I don’t think I could have forgiven you. That was a nasty little trick. But now… I don’t really mind. I still care for the people in my village, but I don’t want to go back. You really have freed me. It just took me a while to realize it.”
Leaning back a few inches, she placed her hand underneath his chin, tilting his head up. She gave him a smile, then slowly leaned forward again, kissing him softly. It was the first time she had ever truly initiated anything between them, and it made her a bit nervous. But she didn’t hesitate.
The hand that Deidara had placed on her side slowly slipped around her back, pulling her closer. He slid his other hand underneath her thighs, lifting her up. Pulling himself up onto the bed, he placed her in his lap, not breaking the kiss. Instead, he deepened it, running his tongue along her bottom lip, trying to persuade her to open her mouth for him.
It took her a moment before she responded, but at last, she did as he wanted. He slowly explored her mouth, finally pulling back and giving her an almost wicked smile. “I didn’t know you were so adventurous,” he whispered, reaching up and brushing a lock of hair back out of her face.
“I’m not, usually,” she replied, somewhat breathlessly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened. I just…”
“Don’t say you’re sorry. It means you thought what you did was a mistake, un. That kissing me, having feelings for me, is a mistake.” He paused. “But you don’t, do you.” It wasn’t really a question.
Mika shook her head. “No, of course not. Having feelings for someone could never be a mistake. I was apologizing because I didn’t know if you wanted me to kiss you or not, that’s all. If you didn’t, then…I’m sorry.”
He arched one eyebrow. “I kissed you back. Did that seem like something I didn’t want to do?” He leaned forward, placing another kiss on the side of her neck. His hand caressed her back, running his fingers along her spine, and making her shiver.
“Well, no, but…” She inhaled, trying to suppress a small whine. What he was doing felt nice… It wasn’t long before she became aware of a familiar ache growing deep within her. Squirming in his lap, she tried to block it out. Now wasn’t the time to be feeling something like this!
But Deidara was persistent. The kisses to her neck became soft nips, then switched back again, alternating. He knew exactly what he was doing. At first, he hadn’t been entirely sure, but when she’d begun to move around, he became sure. She was definitely responding to this. Now, if only he could…
“Why don’t you make yourself a bit more comfortable? Your shirt is soaked in blood; you should take it off, un. I’ll take it and get it washed for you, while you rest.” Not that he intended to let her rest just yet. He had something else in mind, first. Something that she had no doubt caught on to by now. The tricky part would be to persuade her to cooperate, without scaring her.
When she didn’t reply, he tried again. “I’ll find you more bindings to wear, to replace these, and you can wrap yourself in a blanket until your clothes are clean. What do you say? I know you don’t like being undressed in front of me, so I won’t force you, un. This’ll be entirely your decision. I’ll even stay in another room, if that’ll make you feel more comfortable.”
In truth, Mika was tempted. She did want to have her clothes cleaned, but she wasn’t sure about the rest of his offer. He was right about her being uneasy when she was undressed, but she also didn’t want to be left alone in here. “All right. But…I don’t want you to go. Don’t leave me by myself.”
This made him arch one eyebrow. Was she afraid? “Relax. I won’t go anywhere if you don’t want me to. I won’t leave.” He stood up, helping her to her feet. Pulling the top blanket off the bed, he handed it to her. “You don’t have to say it, un. You want me to turn around, right?” His voice was amused.
Mika couldn’t stop the smile from appearing on her face. “Yeah, that’s right. Thank you.” As he turned his back, she slipped the mesh shirt over her head, letting it fall to the ground. She wrapped the blanket around herself, then sat back down on the bed. “I’m finished. You can turn back around now.”
Deidara took a seat next to her on the bed. “I know that I promised to stay with you, but I do have to leave for a moment if you want your clothes cleaned, un. I’ll come right back, and I’ll still be in this hall, just a couple of rooms away.”
She reached out, placing one hand on his arm. “You said that you wanted me to rest, right? Then go after I’m asleep.”
He watched her closely, reading her expression. It was possible that the request was an innocent one – more than possible, given her personality – but it was also possible that she was asking him for something more. He was aware that he was probably reading too much into it, but he wanted to be absolutely sure. It was a big risk; if he was wrong, he might be pushing her into something that she wasn’t ready for, and it would just be that much longer before she felt comfortable enough around him to try again. But if he was right, and he didn’t take this chance, it would give her the wrong idea; she might think that he wasn’t that interested in her.
It would be so much easier if she had more confidence in herself. When she had kissed him, it had been gentle, but she hadn’t been afraid. There had to be some way to light that fire in her, and make her initiate the contact between them. That way, she would go only as far as she wanted to.
He thought about it for several seconds. There might be a way… Patting the bed, he gave her a disarming smile. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep, un.” Moving back across the bed, he leaned up against the wall, making sure that there was enough room left for her to lay beside him. “Come on.”
She lay back, propping her head up in one hand. Her eyes closed, and she gave a soft sigh. Although she was drained of energy, she wasn’t quite ready to sleep just yet. There was still the small matter of the ache within her. She’d hoped that it would go away, but so far, it hadn’t moved. If anything, it seemed to grow stronger as his scent reached her.
Her eyes opened again when she felt him place his hand against her side. A tingle ran through her, and she turned her head, looking down at where his hand was. He had rested it at the bottom of her ribcage, just below the wound. As she watched, his fingers slowly began to move, caressing her skin through the blanket. His gaze was fixed on her, but she couldn’t read anything in it.
“Relax,” he whispered. “You’ve definitely earned a rest.” His hand moved slightly to the side, coming closer to her breast. But just when she was about to say something, he moved back away again. A moment later, he repeated the motion.
Mika swallowed hard, closing her eyes. She could feel her body beginning to warm up, and she bit her lip, her brow furrowing. It didn’t seem that he was planning on actually touching her. This touch was probably innocent, she reminded herself. Strangely, that thought sent a trickle of disappointment through her.
Deidara watched her closely. Maybe she had better willpower than he’d first thought. She was definitely feeling something from this, but would it be enough? Perhaps it was time to step it up a bit. His hand began to move downward, curving over her stomach, then creeping lower. When he reached the top of her shorts, he stopped, then reversed the path. He felt her give a little shudder, but she remained silent.
A smile crept onto his face, but it disappeared before she could see it. This was more like it. If this didn’t get to her, nothing would. With his other hand, he brushed her hair back off her shoulder, then leaned forward. He placed his lips against her neck, but did no more. From here on out, it would have to be up to her.
The heat continued to spread through her body, making her breathing speed up. She clenched her legs together, biting her lip. Though she had thought this was just an innocent movement to begin with, that idea was slowly slipping away. No, he was up to something. But what she found odd was that he never seemed to make any further moves.
Slowly, she turned partway over, looking up at him. “I’m having a hard time getting any rest like this,” she said after a moment.
He inwardly cursed. Damn…it looked like this wasn’t going to work after all. Well, maybe another time, then. He hadn’t taken into account that she might be shaken up after her test; she might just want to be left alone. But when he started to pull his hand away, she caught his wrist.
“Maybe…you could help me to relax?” Her words were laced with a hidden meaning, one that he picked up on immediately. This had worked, after all. He had just given up too soon.
Giving her a smile, he nodded. “I would love to, un. Did you have something in mind?” He picked up a lock of her hair, twirling it around one finger as he waited for her answer. Although he could have taken control back at that point, he decided to wait just a bit longer. He had to be sure that this was what she really wanted, and the only way to do that was to have her ask for it.
At first, she didn’t respond. She knew what it was she wanted – what she would have to ask for. But could she really…? Taking a deep breath, she reached up, placing one hand over his. “I want…” Even in the low light of the room, Deidara could make out a blush forming on her face. “I want you to touch me.”
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Shortly before dawn, Mika heard footsteps coming closer. Her head raised, and she looked around, trying to pinpoint the direction of the sound. A moment later, she spotted a shape that was just a bit darker than the surrounding shadows.
That shape materialized into Deidara. He gave her a small smile, though it quickly faded when he saw the state Hidan was in. His visible eyebrow shot up in surprise. “And here I thought Hidan might have been too tough of an opponent for you to take on so soon. Looks like I underestimated you, un.”
The immortal was now sitting in a pool of his own blood, and bordering on unconsciousness. At the sound of Deidara’s voice, he looked up. “Fuck you,” he spat, his voice hoarse. “This doesn’t mean a damn thing. I went easy on her. If I hadn’t been forbidden to do any actual harm, she’d be dead by now.”
Deidara moved over to the immortal, looking him over. The severe burns that had been on his body had almost completely healed, but Deidara could still make out the faint scars. He had seen the violent explosion from where he and Kakuzu had been waiting. It looked like Hidan hadn’t been able to escape it. “Since when do you follow orders? I’d think you would jump at the chance to defy Leader. Should I tell Kakuzu that you’ve finally learned how to behave yourself and be obedient? He’ll be happy to hear that, I’m sure.”
Hidan growled, straining against the whip that still held him. The poison had begun to wear off, giving him limited motion. “If you do that, I’ll kill you!” His efforts caused another trickle of blood to emerge from the corner of his mouth, dripping down onto his already stained chest.
Deidara grinned almost sadistically. “You should be still. If you lose any more blood, you might really die.” It was rare for him to get Hidan in a position like this, and he intended to take advantage of it. He knew better than to push too far, but he thought he could get away with this much, if he was careful.
Taking note of Hidan’s absent cloak, he frowned thoughtfully. “It looks like that explosion really did a number on you. Were you caught completely in the blast?” He had been to the site, just before coming here, and had seen the devastation that had resulted. If it had been anyone but Hidan, they wouldn’t have survived. “That’s one fatal blow, from the explosion. So that would total up to three, counting these. That pike looks like it’s piercing your heart, and I know your scythe is hitting at least one vital organ, un.” He nodded to Mika. “You can let him go now.”
Mika stood up, unwrapping the whip from around Hidan. It vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving her empty-handed. “So, do I pass my test?”
Deidara shook his head. “We’ll have to let Leader decide that. Zetsu is waiting for us at the base; he’ll take our report back, un.” His gaze traveled down to her side, where her shirt was stained with blood. “You should also get that looked at. Do you have enough chakra to heal yourself?”
“I don’t know,” she answered, shrugging. “I’d have to take a look at it; see how deep it is. I might be able to heal it on the surface, to stop the bleeding. Don’t worry, though. It won’t stop us from traveling. With a light bandage, I’ll be fine.”
Hidan pulled himself to his feet, ripping the weapons out of his body with only a slight growl of pain. “Hey, don’t forget what I told you. If I see my chance, I’ll take it.”
Mika watched him silently for several seconds. “If you’ll give me time to regain a bit of my chakra, I can heal you. I know that you heal quickly, but you’ve already lost a lot of blood.”
He narrowed his red-violet eyes in suspicion. “Why the hell would you want to do something like that? I’ve already told you that I’m looking for a chance to kill you. You should be wanting to keep as far away from me as you can, and here you are, offering to heal me? Are you insane?”
She shrugged. “It was just an offer; you don’t have to take it. But if I pass this test, we’ll be comrades. I was taught to take care of my comrades, no matter who they are. It was my fault that you were injured like that, so I should be the one to take responsibility for taking care of your wounds.”
Hidan waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll pass. I don’t need your help.” Moving stiffly, he placed his scythe on his back, and strapped the pike to his waist. He started to walk away, but then paused, looking back over his shoulder. “Don’t tell Kakuzu about this, got it? The last thing I need is for him to think that I’m some sort of damn weakling. He bitches at me enough as it is.”
Despite herself, a brief smile came to her face. “I won’t say anything, but won’t he find out anyway, when we hear whether or not I passed the test? Not to mention your wounds, unless you plan to hide out somewhere until you heal completely. I’m sure he’ll be able to piece together what happened, even if we stay quiet.”
“I don’t give a damn; I’m not taking that chance. The less he knows, the better.” He grimaced. Of course, he knew better than to think that this would work; Kakuzu had probably known what the outcome of the fight would be before it even began.
Without another word, Hidan turned, disappearing into the forest. Deidara watched him go with one eyebrow arched. “Why did you offer to heal him, really? If you’re hoping to make him change his mind about turning you into a sacrifice, it won’t work. Hidan doesn’t believe in mercy. All he cares about is pleasing his god, and even then, he has limited patience.”
Mika shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just…a medic’s job, to heal someone who’s injured. Regardless of whether they like you or not, you should always do what you can, you know? I’ll admit that I don’t like him; he scares me. And I know that he’ll soon heal on his own, but…” She sighed. “I’m sorry, I know I’m not making much sense. Maybe it’s something only another medic could understand.”
Deidara moved a bit closer to her, resting one hand lightly against her injured side. “Let’s go back to my room and get this looked at, un. You don’t want to get an infection.” He looked her over, realizing that, besides a few superficial scratches, she was otherwise unharmed. “How did you manage to keep him from cutting you to pieces?”
“To be honest, I think he really was holding back when we fought. I did think that he was planning on killing me, once or twice, but he never tried. Not seriously, anyway.” She gestured to her side. “This was just a fluke, if you want to know the truth. We both struck at each other at the same time, and I left my side unguarded. I didn’t think he would actually try to hit me with his scythe at such close range.”
She knew better to think that she was a better fighter than he was; she might have been able to match him in speed, and her whip was more versatile than his scythe, but in terms of strength and ruthlessness, he far outclassed her. His immortality was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, he didn’t have to worry about being injured by his enemies, so he never had to guard himself. But at the same time, this was also a flaw; it made him reckless, enabling his enemies to deal debilitating blows that would slow him down, and eventually give them the upper hand. That, she was sure, was how she had won. He had been careless, and he had also underestimated her.
But he had also been correct in saying that, had he not been under a restriction, he would have killed her. She had managed to hit him three times; would that be enough to prove herself to Pein?
She followed Deidara silently back through the trees, towards the base. “How long will it take for…uh… Leader to make his decision about me?” She was hesitant to call Pein by name; none of the others did, and she was afraid that they would view it as disrespectful if she didn’t do the same.
Deidara considered this. “Probably half a day or so, un. It won’t take him that long to decide, but after hearing Zetsu’s report, he’ll most likely hold off on telling us, giving both you and Hidan a chance to recover.”
More like giving me a chance to sweat it out; driving myself insane, wondering whether or not I’m going to be killed… Mika looked away, not sure that she really wanted to know the answer to her next question. “And…if I fail? What will happen to me then?”
He didn’t answer at first, nor did he turn to look at her. “You won’t fail. Three would-be fatal injuries should be more than enough to prove you’re qualified to join us, un.” There was a pause. “But…if you did… You would be given to Hidan, to use in his ritual. You know that he has to make a regular sacrifice to his god in order to retain his immortality? It isn’t simply killing. The ritual is designed specifically to make that person suffer. Usually, if he has the time, he’ll draw out that person’s death, before using a blow through the heart to kill them.” He considered telling her everything, but decided against it; that would take too much time, not to mention making her panic. “Simply put, he has a way to link himself to his opponent. Any damage he does to himself is also done to that person. You can see why immortality would be helpful, in this case.”
Behind him, Mika had turned pale. That was worse than she had imagined… Bad enough simply killing someone, but torturing them? Now that the test was over, the seed of doubt that she had managed to suppress suddenly began to grow. Was that the fate that awaited her? Even if she had managed to get three good hits on him, he had been going easy on her…
As if sensing her fear, Deidara turned to look at her. “You don’t have anything to worry about,” he insisted. “If Leader hadn’t thought you could succeed, he wouldn’t have given you this test. Trust me, un. You’re too valuable for us to throw you away. Think of this more as a formality. We all had to go through something like this.”
She nodded slowly. “Maybe…but weren’t you fighting with the intention of not joining? Death was never an outcome for you. If you had won…”
“Do you really believe that I had a choice? That fight was over the moment they found me. If, by some miracle, I had won, they probably would have eventually killed me, un. I doubt they ever had any intention of letting me go. With Akatsuki, that’s how it works. If you’re talented enough to be chosen by Leader, either you join, or you die. You probably wouldn’t be killed immediately… We would try other ways of convincing you to join us. But if you still refused… Well, why give someone else the opportunity to get a hold of your talents?”
“So Akatsuki has the ‘if we can’t have you, no one can’ mentality? That’s encouraging.”
Deidara gave a short laugh. “Actually, in your case, it is, un. You’ve already agreed to join us. You have the qualifications to be a member; this test was just to prove that to everyone else. If that wasn’t enough, you’re a medic. That fact alone should be enough to convince Leader to let you join us.”
“I hope you’re right. I’m not ready to die just yet.”
By the time they made it back to the base, the sun had begun to rise above the horizon, casting its warm glow over them. Kakuzu was nowhere to be found; Mika figured he must have gone back inside when her test had finished. There was also no sign of Zetsu. Had he been aware of the fight, or had he been waiting inside the entire time?
Noticing her looking around, Deidara gave a half-smile of amusement. “Expecting an attack? You’re safe, I promise, un. Try to relax. Worrying yourself sick won’t do you any good.”
“It isn’t that. I was just wondering where Kakuzu went. I saw him come outside to speak to you, but after that, I don’t know where he went. Did he stay to see the entire fight?” Not that he would have been able to see much; it had taken place deep in the forest. He had probably seen the blast from the explosion, but other than that…
“For a while, he stayed. He thought Hidan would actually go through with killing you as soon as he’d caught up with you, un.” Inwardly, so had he, but he didn’t say this aloud; it might make her think that he didn’t have faith in her abilities. “But when Hidan didn’t come back, he eventually lost interest. He said that he had better things to do than waste his time watching the trees blow in the wind, un.” Unsealing the door to the base, he led her inside, back towards his room.
“So…why did you stay? Kakuzu has a point. If you couldn’t see the fight, why wait outside all day? You didn’t think that I would try to run away or something…?”
He shook his head, opening the door to his room and moving inside. “Not at all. I waited outside because I would end up driving myself insane, wondering if you were all right, un. Even though I couldn’t see what was happening, I kept thinking you might eventually come close to the edge of the forest, where I would be able to hear you. I saw the smoke from the explosion, but that was the only hint I had as to what was going on.”
Mika blinked, stopping in the middle of the room. “You were…worried about me?” For some reason, his words sent a surge of warmth through her. Although she wanted to protest that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, she couldn’t bring herself to snap at him, as she normally would have.
This time, Deidara didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he moved over to the table in the corner, opening a small drawer and reaching inside. After rummaging around for a moment, he pulled out a small tube of cream, and a roll of bandages. “Come here. Take off your overshirt, and sit down on the bed, un.”
“I can do it myself, you know,” she grumbled. But despite her words, she sat down on the edge of the bed, unzipping her overshirt the rest of the way, and letting it slip from her shoulders.
“I know you can. But I want to be the one to take care of you, this one time, un. You can agree to that, can’t you?” He knelt down in front of her, putting the bandage aside on the bed, and raising the hem of her mesh undershirt with his free hand.
She shuddered slightly as the cool air of the room came in contact with her previously-covered skin. The shirt slipped up over the bottom of her ribcage, and she looked down at Deidara, watching him curiously. How far did he intend to raise it up?
The wound – and the bottom curve of her breast - soon came into view. It stretched across the top of her ribs, though it didn’t look too deep. But it was a bit difficult to get a good look at it; she still wore her bindings, beneath the shirt. “I’ll need you to take these off, so I can see it better, un.”
Mika hesitated, then nodded. Reaching behind her, she found the knot, untying the bindings. Slowly, she began to unwind them, being careful to keep herself covered by her shirt. At last, they came free, and she put them aside.
Lightly, he pressed the tips of his fingers against the edges, making Mika give a soft hiss. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I just want to make sure-”
“It didn’t hit the bone,” she said, cutting him off. “It was just a glancing blow.” She fell silent for a moment as he opened the tube of cream, spreading a bit of it carefully over the wound. It stung, but she didn’t protest. A faint minty scent drifted up to her, making her smile. “An antiseptic cream really isn’t necessary,” she mumbled, mostly to herself. “The cut isn’t too deep.”
Deidara glanced up at her curiously. “How did you know what it was? There’s no label on it, un.”
She gave him a half-smile. “I’m a medic, remember? I can tell by the smell of it. I’ve used that on patients so many times I could identify it in my sleep.” Her smile widened. “Besides, putting an antiseptic on a wound is common sense.” Pausing thoughtfully, she tilted her head to the side. “You seem like you know a bit about wounds, yourself. But I guess you’ve all had to learn to fend for yourselves, huh?”
He nodded, tearing off a small length of the bandage and using it to carefully clean the blood off her skin. “More or less. We all know how to take care of minor wounds, but if we’re ever severely injured – like I was when I took you – then we’re in trouble, un. Things are about to get very dangerous, now that we’re collecting the Tailed Beasts, so we can’t be as carefree as we’ve been in the past. We can’t take the chance of one of us being killed.” Tearing another square of bandage off, he carefully fixed it into place over the wound. “Once you’ve recovered your chakra, you can heal that, but leave it as it is for now.”
Mika laughed in amusement. “You really do sound like a medic. Don’t worry, I’m not going to waste any of my chakra. I know my own limits better than anyone.” She leaned back, propping herself up on her hands. “Can I ask you a question? When you first brought me here, you threatened me, in order to convince me to declare my defection from my village. Do you remember that?”
His fingers, which had been gently smoothing the bandage down over her side, went still. “Yes, I remember.” His voice was surprisingly hesitant as he spoke. He sighed. “I’m sorry, about that. It was the only way I had-”
Reaching up, she placed a finger over his mouth, silencing him. “You don’t have to apologize. I didn’t bring it up to make you feel guilty. I just wanted to know if what you said was the truth. About those bombs, I mean. Did you really put them inside of me, or was that just a bluff?”
For a long time, Deidara was silent. “It was the truth. For a short while, at least. Once you marked through your forehead protector, I knew that there was no danger of you trying to leave, un. Besides, where would you have gone? You didn’t know where we had taken you, and you wouldn’t have gotten very far before one of us caught you again.”
Mika nodded slowly. “So, after I did as you wanted, you deactivated them?” Strangely, her voice was completely calm. If anything, the only emotion reflected in it was curiosity.
“That’s right. From that moment, you were completely free, un. You just didn’t know it, apparently.” His fingers slipped downward, running lightly over her bare skin. “I am sorry about that. Threatening you, I mean.” Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against her chest.
She stiffened slightly in surprise, but didn’t pull away from him. Slowly, she reached up, placing one hand behind his head, and curling her fingers through his hair. “If you had told me that in the beginning, I don’t think I could have forgiven you. That was a nasty little trick. But now… I don’t really mind. I still care for the people in my village, but I don’t want to go back. You really have freed me. It just took me a while to realize it.”
Leaning back a few inches, she placed her hand underneath his chin, tilting his head up. She gave him a smile, then slowly leaned forward again, kissing him softly. It was the first time she had ever truly initiated anything between them, and it made her a bit nervous. But she didn’t hesitate.
The hand that Deidara had placed on her side slowly slipped around her back, pulling her closer. He slid his other hand underneath her thighs, lifting her up. Pulling himself up onto the bed, he placed her in his lap, not breaking the kiss. Instead, he deepened it, running his tongue along her bottom lip, trying to persuade her to open her mouth for him.
It took her a moment before she responded, but at last, she did as he wanted. He slowly explored her mouth, finally pulling back and giving her an almost wicked smile. “I didn’t know you were so adventurous,” he whispered, reaching up and brushing a lock of hair back out of her face.
“I’m not, usually,” she replied, somewhat breathlessly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened. I just…”
“Don’t say you’re sorry. It means you thought what you did was a mistake, un. That kissing me, having feelings for me, is a mistake.” He paused. “But you don’t, do you.” It wasn’t really a question.
Mika shook her head. “No, of course not. Having feelings for someone could never be a mistake. I was apologizing because I didn’t know if you wanted me to kiss you or not, that’s all. If you didn’t, then…I’m sorry.”
He arched one eyebrow. “I kissed you back. Did that seem like something I didn’t want to do?” He leaned forward, placing another kiss on the side of her neck. His hand caressed her back, running his fingers along her spine, and making her shiver.
“Well, no, but…” She inhaled, trying to suppress a small whine. What he was doing felt nice… It wasn’t long before she became aware of a familiar ache growing deep within her. Squirming in his lap, she tried to block it out. Now wasn’t the time to be feeling something like this!
But Deidara was persistent. The kisses to her neck became soft nips, then switched back again, alternating. He knew exactly what he was doing. At first, he hadn’t been entirely sure, but when she’d begun to move around, he became sure. She was definitely responding to this. Now, if only he could…
“Why don’t you make yourself a bit more comfortable? Your shirt is soaked in blood; you should take it off, un. I’ll take it and get it washed for you, while you rest.” Not that he intended to let her rest just yet. He had something else in mind, first. Something that she had no doubt caught on to by now. The tricky part would be to persuade her to cooperate, without scaring her.
When she didn’t reply, he tried again. “I’ll find you more bindings to wear, to replace these, and you can wrap yourself in a blanket until your clothes are clean. What do you say? I know you don’t like being undressed in front of me, so I won’t force you, un. This’ll be entirely your decision. I’ll even stay in another room, if that’ll make you feel more comfortable.”
In truth, Mika was tempted. She did want to have her clothes cleaned, but she wasn’t sure about the rest of his offer. He was right about her being uneasy when she was undressed, but she also didn’t want to be left alone in here. “All right. But…I don’t want you to go. Don’t leave me by myself.”
This made him arch one eyebrow. Was she afraid? “Relax. I won’t go anywhere if you don’t want me to. I won’t leave.” He stood up, helping her to her feet. Pulling the top blanket off the bed, he handed it to her. “You don’t have to say it, un. You want me to turn around, right?” His voice was amused.
Mika couldn’t stop the smile from appearing on her face. “Yeah, that’s right. Thank you.” As he turned his back, she slipped the mesh shirt over her head, letting it fall to the ground. She wrapped the blanket around herself, then sat back down on the bed. “I’m finished. You can turn back around now.”
Deidara took a seat next to her on the bed. “I know that I promised to stay with you, but I do have to leave for a moment if you want your clothes cleaned, un. I’ll come right back, and I’ll still be in this hall, just a couple of rooms away.”
She reached out, placing one hand on his arm. “You said that you wanted me to rest, right? Then go after I’m asleep.”
He watched her closely, reading her expression. It was possible that the request was an innocent one – more than possible, given her personality – but it was also possible that she was asking him for something more. He was aware that he was probably reading too much into it, but he wanted to be absolutely sure. It was a big risk; if he was wrong, he might be pushing her into something that she wasn’t ready for, and it would just be that much longer before she felt comfortable enough around him to try again. But if he was right, and he didn’t take this chance, it would give her the wrong idea; she might think that he wasn’t that interested in her.
It would be so much easier if she had more confidence in herself. When she had kissed him, it had been gentle, but she hadn’t been afraid. There had to be some way to light that fire in her, and make her initiate the contact between them. That way, she would go only as far as she wanted to.
He thought about it for several seconds. There might be a way… Patting the bed, he gave her a disarming smile. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep, un.” Moving back across the bed, he leaned up against the wall, making sure that there was enough room left for her to lay beside him. “Come on.”
She lay back, propping her head up in one hand. Her eyes closed, and she gave a soft sigh. Although she was drained of energy, she wasn’t quite ready to sleep just yet. There was still the small matter of the ache within her. She’d hoped that it would go away, but so far, it hadn’t moved. If anything, it seemed to grow stronger as his scent reached her.
Her eyes opened again when she felt him place his hand against her side. A tingle ran through her, and she turned her head, looking down at where his hand was. He had rested it at the bottom of her ribcage, just below the wound. As she watched, his fingers slowly began to move, caressing her skin through the blanket. His gaze was fixed on her, but she couldn’t read anything in it.
“Relax,” he whispered. “You’ve definitely earned a rest.” His hand moved slightly to the side, coming closer to her breast. But just when she was about to say something, he moved back away again. A moment later, he repeated the motion.
Mika swallowed hard, closing her eyes. She could feel her body beginning to warm up, and she bit her lip, her brow furrowing. It didn’t seem that he was planning on actually touching her. This touch was probably innocent, she reminded herself. Strangely, that thought sent a trickle of disappointment through her.
Deidara watched her closely. Maybe she had better willpower than he’d first thought. She was definitely feeling something from this, but would it be enough? Perhaps it was time to step it up a bit. His hand began to move downward, curving over her stomach, then creeping lower. When he reached the top of her shorts, he stopped, then reversed the path. He felt her give a little shudder, but she remained silent.
A smile crept onto his face, but it disappeared before she could see it. This was more like it. If this didn’t get to her, nothing would. With his other hand, he brushed her hair back off her shoulder, then leaned forward. He placed his lips against her neck, but did no more. From here on out, it would have to be up to her.
The heat continued to spread through her body, making her breathing speed up. She clenched her legs together, biting her lip. Though she had thought this was just an innocent movement to begin with, that idea was slowly slipping away. No, he was up to something. But what she found odd was that he never seemed to make any further moves.
Slowly, she turned partway over, looking up at him. “I’m having a hard time getting any rest like this,” she said after a moment.
He inwardly cursed. Damn…it looked like this wasn’t going to work after all. Well, maybe another time, then. He hadn’t taken into account that she might be shaken up after her test; she might just want to be left alone. But when he started to pull his hand away, she caught his wrist.
“Maybe…you could help me to relax?” Her words were laced with a hidden meaning, one that he picked up on immediately. This had worked, after all. He had just given up too soon.
Giving her a smile, he nodded. “I would love to, un. Did you have something in mind?” He picked up a lock of her hair, twirling it around one finger as he waited for her answer. Although he could have taken control back at that point, he decided to wait just a bit longer. He had to be sure that this was what she really wanted, and the only way to do that was to have her ask for it.
At first, she didn’t respond. She knew what it was she wanted – what she would have to ask for. But could she really…? Taking a deep breath, she reached up, placing one hand over his. “I want…” Even in the low light of the room, Deidara could make out a blush forming on her face. “I want you to touch me.”
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