A/N: I don't know how y'all do it. I can do descriptions, but writing emotion? 'das hard. I hope y'all like this chapter, because I really tried.

The last time the three of them had been together on a mission their captain and Shikamaru had lost his teacher. They left that day as a four man cell and only three members came back, alive. Now Asuma's daughter was growing up without a father. Between Kotetsu and Izumo, it wasn't on their usual business to leave the village on a mission. Used to greeting weary shinobi and happy go-lucky townspeople back into Konoha. It must've meant to Tsunade was running low on options. Which, of course, they had no problems with being sent out. Sometimes it was boring being confined to their booth or being Tsunade's lackeys.

"Eh, Izumo. Doesn't it feel good to be out in the field?" Kotetsu chuckled. "I was beginning to think Tsunade forgot that we were actual shinobi."

"I know, man. But, hey! Stay focused! We can't screw this up. The scroll we're receiving from Suna is important!"

"You don't have to keep reminding me! I hope we finished this fast. I've got a hot date tonight."

"Really? Already? Weren't you just out last with Ino? I'm actually—"

Kotetsu shot Izumo a look, halting him in his tracks. For once, his mouth ran faster than his mind. If you asked him, Ino's disappearance was weird. He and Kotetsu had spent hours trying to come up with their own theories as to what happened. It was like she vanished without a trace. Both eyes glanced over to Shikamaru, who lead the way.

Even though Team Ten was technically no longer together, they were still teammates and best friends for life. They knew everything about each other and for once that cycle had been broken by Ino's disappearance. Hell, he didn't know what he'd do without Kotetsu. That's just something you don't get used to. Shikamaru was doing his best to look indifferent but they could definitely pick up on the emotions radiating from his body. Fear. Anger. Guilt.

Shikamaru picked his pace up forcing everyone else to do so as well. He could feel Kotetsu and Izumo's eyes boring into his back though he deliberately ignored them.

Izumo opened his mouth to speak, but Kotetsu beat him to it. "Rendezvous is half a day away, but it if we move fast, we should be able to make it in about 4 hours or less."

"Then, move faster." Shikamaru commanded.

Ino grumbled to herself, not that Deidara and Sasori were paying her any mind, her nose flaring as she fought the urge to sneeze. She was alert and concentrating on her partners as they trekked on. With all the flecks of sand from the breeze kicking her, it'd be hard to keep from sneezing. They were on the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Sand. Mainly a mix between the two, Ino hated the feel of sand sloshing around in her sandals.

All in all, she really couldn't complain. It was her first mission! Hopefully all the taijutsu training she had done with Itachi and Kisame would come in handy. She got goosebumps whenever she thought back to that fact. She had not a single clue who it was they were accosting but it was sort of exhilarating. It didn't even bother her that Deidara kept teasing her about her excited demeanor or that Sasori was crabbier than usual. Sasori became more agitated jerking forward as if angry. He was paranoid, constantly scanning the sky.

"Danna, the rendezvous point is ahead."

"Hm." Sasori grunted in agreement, leaning himself against the tree closest to him. Surprisingly he was not within his puppet shell, Hiruko, this time opting to use himself, offensively.

"Do you… want to go back home, Ino?"

The question caught both Deidara and Ino off-guard, though meant for Ino.

She paused, her mouth agape. "W-what?"

"Would you ever want to go back to Konoha?"

She considered this carefully, though answering promptly. "I miss them. I miss home, but if I go back... I… I don't want to be mediocre, I want to be strong. I want to be feared. I want to be powerful."

He considered her answered for a long time, just watching her face as she stared back at him. Deidara continued where Sasori left off.

"You're going to have to choose, hm… in front of them when we confront them. It's not going to be easy for you, but we will not suffer at the hands of your betrayal, hm."

Ino nodded slowly. "I can't betray you," She brought herself to stand between the two men. "Because I… I need you."

For some strange reason, Ino felt more relieved to have admitted that she needed them and had professed her loyalty to them.

"Let's go."

"Man, I hope we're not left standing around for these Konoha nin for much longer."

"It's not like you have anything better to do, Fujiwara."

Fujiwara, sucked his teeth in response, not wanting to really get into back-talking his superior. Being the siblings to the Kazekage sure had its advantages.

"Leave him alone, Kankuro." Temari would never admit it aloud, she appreciated the missions away from home, teaming up with or rendezvousing with the Konoha ninja. Though she was sure Gaara set her up on those missions, purposely, allowing her to see a certain someone with the hairstyle shaped like a pineapple.

"Oh, piss off, Temari! Don't coddle him." Painted makeup casted illusions as his mouth twisted into a sneer directed to the older kunoichi. She rolled her eyes. He was such a big bully. No wonder Gaara kicked them out on this mission. A few hours of peace and quiet. That was what she needed.

Kankuro glanced down to an oddly shaped bird that flew down, landing in the center of their group, faintly capturing his attention. His instincts kicked in, screaming of danger, sending adrenaline pumping to his limbs.

"MOVE!"

Boom.

Heat, a constant ringing, and stars entered her realm, as she struggled to catch her breath. The air had been knocked from her lungs when with her brother shielded her from the explosion with his larger form. What the fuck? "K-Kankuro?"

Assessing the status of her team, she noted Fujiwara was unconscious, lying a ways away.

"We've got company."

Kankuro had already recovered, his puppet, Karasu, circling defensively under Sasori's attack. With their third member down, Sasori decided the plan of action was to then separate the two before retrieving the scroll they had intended to give to Konoha.

The boy was a good puppeteer, Sasori would give him that. He had potential and if they hadn't been on opposite sides of the battle, he'd give him pointers. Hell, maybe even throw in one of his creations as a gift. It had been a long time since he had even entertained anything with a fellow ninja of the arts.

"Ino?"

What was she doing here? Temari wasn't all that familiar with the kunoichi, not having too many personal interactions with the girl. But how the hell had she gotten involved with the Akatsuki?

Gone was her all too familiar barely there lavender dyed clothing. It was replaced with a long sleeve fishnet top underneath a black crop top, black shorts, grey thigh highs, and heeled ninja boots; the tell-tale black robe draped over her frame, adorned with the signature red clouds. Akatsuki?

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. None of this made sense and Temari was not stupid, at all.

"Hand over the scroll, Temari."

Not be a bitch, but it wasn't above Ino to see Temari struggling to put two-and-two together. Prior to this, she had been so fed up with Temari's arrogance and condescension.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

Rather an answer, Ino charged, sending chakra to envelop her hand in a soft green, but deadly glow. With her chakra-infused hand, she sent a couple of jabs Temari's way, instantly setting the woman on the defensive. Unable to extend her fan with Ino within close proximity, she was limited to using the fan as a blockade.

Those taijutsu sessions with that damned Uchiha and Kisame had done Ino some good. Deidara kept to the sidelines for now, deciding that unless she needed some help it was her time to prove her loyalty. Though he hoped she wouldn't keep at it for too long as they wouldn't want to run into the Konoha ninja when they finally made it to the rendezvous point. Though, he would've loved to see their faces.

This isn't her fighting style. She's not even trying to control my mind. Could she be under their influence?

From the corner of her eye, she had noticed that Kankuro was barely holding his own against Sasori. Where was the Konoha team? They needed back up. She didn't think they were going to take this long to make it to the rendezvous. She winced in pain when Ino clipped her in her abdomen, though missing her vital spot. Ino wasn't this fast before nor was she a close-quarter's fighter either. She was cut short by a sharp kick to the stomach, landing on her backside serval feet away from Ino.

It was at this point that Deidara had started paying attention, he had been watching for an opening. This time he had opted to use the form of spiders. He smirked, giving them life with his chakra, tasting the familiarly dull taste of clay threw his kekkei genkai. Spiders were one of his favorites; being small and usually remaining virtually undetected until the last moment, but by that time, it was usually too late.

They jumped from the palm of his hand, quickly scurrying across the forest floor, before latching onto the Suna Kunoichi, not allowing the woman to recover and make it back to her feet.

"We've come for the scroll, and we will have it, hm."

"You might as well hand it over." The grin on Ino's lips grew as Deidara crept into view from the edge of the bush.

"Why are you working for them, Ino!? You don't have to do this!" Temari struggled to ID the other figure who finally made his way beside Ino. Blonde. Masculine. Two heads taller than the girl. Deidara of Iwagakure? "What about Konoha? W-What…about Shikamaru?"

The grin on her face vanished at the mention of her former teammate. "What about him? I've made my choice."

There were so many questions and so many different variables that just didn't factor into the equation to get the answer of Ino's allegiance with the Akatsuki.

"But why, Ino? This doesn't make any sens-!"

On its own accord, her hand slipped into her flak jacket, drawing the scroll forth. Sasori had latched a chakra string onto that of her wrist, allowing him to control Temari's own form as if she were a puppet of his own. Not surprised, Deidara knew Sasori had finished with his skirmish and was ready to be on their way back to base. "Ino, if you will."

She nodded, closing the distance between her and the fallen Suna kunoichi. She kneeled before the woman, taking the scroll from her outstretched hand, transferring it into pouch for secure keeping.

Teal met aquamarine, alike. "Goodbye, Temari."

Her vision went black, the last thing she saw being Ino's foot.

It was like she was on autopilot. She didn't even remember the journey leading back to the compound, but she had made it back to bed. The last few hours was all a blur.

"Don't get up, hm." She hadn't even noticed Deidara's presence. It took her quite a few moments to even realize she wasn't in her room; she was in his. "You need to get your rest. We have a mission in the morning, hm."

"How long have I been out?"

"Not too long, hm. A few hours give or take. You worked hard today, hm."

She sat straight up, leaning far over the edge of the bed trying to peer over his shoulder to see what he was doing. He faced his desk with his back had been turned to her, which of course sparked her curiosity. It'd make perfect sense if he was tinkering with the mysterious clay he always carried on his person.

When she was in Konoha, she only had the account of their skills through Naruto's loud mouth conversations, though seeing in person was so much different. She was so close to seeing what he was working on when he suddenly swiveled around in his chair, startling her into losing her balance.

"Ah!"

Deidara rolled his eyes, reaching his hand out to her collarbone, to brace her body to keep from falling. He, easily, was able to ease her gently back up to her original position on the bed. "You are so annoying, hm. You could've just asked." Though his insult was given with a smirk on his lips, letting her know he was only teasing. She bit her lip in her mild frustrated state.

Don't do it. Don't do it. She could feel her face heating up, her cheeks turning a pinkish color. It felt like her collarbone was on fire where Deidara rested his hand. She felt childish; as if it were her teenage years all over again.

"Thanks."

Why was he still touching her? She wasn't in danger of falling anymore. His hand stayed on her chest. She lifted her eyes to his face only to find that his attention was on her lips. Goosebumps danced themselves over her skin when his hand finally left her collarbone, though in favor of being elsewhere when he caught his thumb gently trailing over her bottom lip. What was he doing?

"D-Deidara?"

Ino was completely frozen, like a deer in the headlights, all previous emotions replaced with shock and awe. Yeah she had professed her loyalty to them, but…?

His lips were soft, pressing against her own, replacing his thumb. She was far too stunned to make any sort of movement; she couldn't even think of anything coherent. Deidara shifted himself closer, leaving his chair. He held himself up by propping one knee on the edge of the bed, giving him easier access, though there was a difference in height as he leaned over her.

His hand had removed itself from beside her and was now making its way up her back, before holding onto the back of her neck. He took the opportunity to brush his tongue against her lower lip, as if it were requesting an invitation. Though confusing, this was admittedly pleasurable, and she granted him permission, parting her lips.

Her tongue was shy against his, allowing him to take the lead of that little dance. She couldn't think of anything else but the way she felt as he began gently nipping at her lower lip with those sharpened and perfect teeth of his. Ino let out a small and faint gasp, further breaking down his resolve.

"Jesus," He mumbled against her lips. She could feel the vibrations on her lips as he spoke, "Fuck, hm."

His hand left her neck, as he pulled away. Ino caught herself faintly wishing he hadn't. She wanted to ask him what was that about, but she wasn't sure why she even kissed him back. The whole situation was sort of ironic. It was as they said, when you go looking for love, you don't find it, but it finds you when you're not looking. Not to say she loved him, definitely not. But…this was definitely interesting.

"Ummm…"

"…You should get some rest, hm."

"You can sleep here tonight, hm."

Her face felt like it was million degrees but she was finally able to meet his eye, nodding out her appreciation. "Thanks... Goodnight."

A/N: Not sure if I'm actually satisfied with this chapter. Idk, I kinda don't like it. I feel like I have a problem with dialogue. Like, describing character's actions? No problem. Emotion? We're getting there; starting to get the hang of it. Dialogue? Oh, Jesus, fix it. All in all, I hope this is to you guys' liking! I'm really trying. ;-;