Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto or any of its affiliations…I am merely borrowing its characters and settings to indulge my own fantasies and then share said fantasies with other people who equally do not own Naruto. I am not making any profit off this.

Author's note: Dark, violent, psychological. Occasionally funny. Shiptease and emotionally-charged interactions abound but this isn't a romance fic (the goal isn't to get characters together...but it could happen who knows). No matter when you are reading this fic, chapter reviews are always welcome! Share your thoughts!

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o o o

Deidara had set the mission up as a trap.

An ageing Grass Lord, conveniently located near the border of Rain, had months ago come down with an undiagnosed illness. Learning as much, Deidara had then manipulated the situation to his favour, getting information to the staff and handlers about a possible route for a cure, all the while staying in the shadows. A few carefully placed words to the right people, and the Grass Lord eventually requested help from the Hokage. He had asked for her apprentice with the recently acquired knowledge that the personal student of the Fifth would be able to cure him. And if the pathetic situation hadn't been enough, then the man's money offered had surely persuaded the Leaf to accept.

The apprentice was something else. She never stopped, didn't slow, she had an inhuman drive pushing her every action to a level of efficiency and speed that seldom few could ever hope to emulate. The time line for the mission had been estimated at two weeks but she had set about curing the man in a matter of days before she was off again to return to Fire Country. And when a group of mercenaries suddenly attacked her and her three-man escort? Well, she hadn't shown any nervousness or hesitation in dealing with them either. She released that constantly churning power in artfully executed flourishes – and Deidara liked that in a person.

With her calm façade and hard eyes, she was a sight to watch while in combat... Which happened to be exactly what Deidara was doing at the moment.

"Oou…" he sympathised as the medic-nin dug a kunai into the gut of one of the rogue mercenaries.

Deidara, when hiring the mercenaries, had made sure the group was strong enough to take out the Leaf escorts, but not so overwhelming that they'd kill the apprentice. In any case, they had been given strict orders to dispatch the others before even touching her. Deidara was around only to collect her once she was incapacitated. He wasn't to be seen. Leader didn't particularly wish for Akatsuki to be associated with Haruno Sakura's disappearance.

Below Deidara in the clearing another Leaf nin was down, and now it was just his target left standing. She was outnumbered three to one, but had already taken down six enemy combatants on her own, so he had some confidence she would come out the victor in the battle.

The mercenaries hadn't caught onto their situation so much. One of the men made a comment to the girl and brandished his blade in a blatant and crude manner.

Deidara almost smiled. Couldn't they see they were just barely fighting on even ground?

Sure, percentage wise, the individual hired nin had more chakra remaining than she – since the fighting had been divvied between so many people at first – but they were clearly inferior when it came to brains and skill. It was obvious.

But the remarks from the three continued. Deidara could see the kunoichi wasn't affected by what they were saying, but he would bet that she was growing impatient by the way her eyes narrowed and shoulders tensed.

She tapped her left foot and the ground in front of her opened up fast enough that the man currently speaking was cut off mid-sentence and swallowed whole into the fissure. The other two mercenaries managed to dart away, seemingly having decided that long-range would be the best way to fight her.

Shuriken went past the kunoichi's head as she ducked to avoid them. Deidara watched as she flitted around projectiles while throwing senbon needles of her own. She was careful – though not careful enough. One of the men had managed to get behind her and drove her face first into a tree before slamming his body fully against hers, immobilising her. The man secured her wrists with one hand while allowing the other to travel down her side. The second remaining mercenary had revealed herself and was spewing more creative suggestions from where she stood a few feet behind her companion.

Deidara's brow creased as he watched.

What was the girl's strategy here?

Ah, there we go, he thought with a satisfied twist of his lips. The girl pinned to the tree dispersed abruptly into a cloud of dust – an earth-formed clone. He had never seen her make the hand seals. The debris hanging in the air hadn't cleared by the time both mercenaries were down, chakra enhanced hits felling them in quick succession.

And such hits, too! A sight to watch, really.

The kunoichi stood still for a moment, shoulders hunched and breathing laboured as she hovered over the bodies, and Deidara wondered if she were about to collapse. She surprised him when she turned and made her way to the side of one of the Leaf nin. He watched her check the other kunoichi's pulse and listen for a heartbeat. A lost cause. She closed the woman's wide open eyes before she moved on to another body.

The second nin, a middle-aged man, was also dead. His eyes were already shut, so she didn't linger at his side, set about locating the final Leaf instead. This one was still breathing, Deidara gathered, as the girl started channelling chakra into the most life-threatening wound, one that couldn't wait for treatment or withstand movement.

She really must have been clever with her chakra in order to have enough energy to stitch up the long, jagged gash as neatly and precisely as she did. But she wasn't invincible. She had just enough reserves left to hastily patch up the rest of his debilitating cuts and punctures. Only at the point of exhausting herself did she finally step away to lean on a nearby tree.

She started to slump over, eyes going shut and expression slack, and Deidara didn't wait for her knees to hit the ground before he was down there, standing at her side.

Up close, she wasn't nearly as impressive.

"You're a shorty, yeah," he said.

She shouldn't have been so young and small – not with the way she rendered the ground asunder. Although, perhaps her plum sweet looks in contrast to her explosive skills leant to her charm.

Deidara sucked his teeth, thoughtful. She didn't look quite so sweet at the moment. From a distance he hadn't been able to appreciate the amount of scratches and developing bruises she had acquired, all the dents from heavy hits. She was roughed up.

She carried it well, though.

Her eyes were closed and it seemed she was unaware of his arrival and scrutiny, if not all together passed out. That was fine with him. All the easier to dose her with a sedative. As she fell more slack, he took her with one arm around the shoulders first and then caught the back of her knees with his other. She was heavier than he expected and somehow bonier, too, and he struggled for a moment to arrange her comfortably against his body.

And where his former partner had failed – Deidara succeeded and fled into the canopy with the defeated Apprentice to the Fifth.

He glanced down at the girl, feeling slightly apologetic over the fact the other Leaf nin she had spent so much energy healing was going to die any way. To her and to himself, he said, "can't be helped, yeah. That's our life as shinobi. And like we'd have it any other way! Way too boring, yeah."

Expectedly enough, she didn't reply.

o o o

Her name was Haruno Sakura. She was a Leaf Chuunin. She had defeated Akasuna no Sasori. She had short, choppy hair and slept with her mouth just a little ajar. She was currently on his bed.

It wasn't really his bed, though, but where Deidara would temporarily stay during the nights that brought him to this one of the many Akatsuki bunkers. Deidara still liked how she looked in it, even with that mint green chakra surrounding her like a blanket as she unconsciously sought to treat her injuries. Seriously, she was unconscious.

"Unnatural, yeah. Doing that while asleep," Deidara griped, or maybe marvelled, from where he stood by his door jamb.

She'd been out for half a day and it seemed she was slowly coming back around. Some time ago her deep sleep 'must rest body and mind completely' cycle had transitioned to one where she was dreaming – he could tell from her shift in breathing and by the way her eyes twitched beneath her eyelids. She made a noise and roused enough from her sleep to stretch her arms and rearrange herself more comfortably into his comforter and pillows.

Figures Uchiha gets the personal medic, he thought with a pout.

Uchiha. He was the reason behind Deidara's mission in getting the kunoichi.

He didn't really believe himself capable of jealousy, and he would never admit to envying Uchiha, but Deidara was a bit unhappy with the fact that it was Kakuzu and not Sakura that would be tending to his wounds. Those veins that the other man used to stitch up his arms were oil slick (and kinda super unpleasant) compared to the gentle healing chakra that the girl used. Well, he imagined her chakra would be warm and gentle. Just like the sunlight filtered through the summer leaves.

Straightening out of his leaning posture, Deidara walked to the edge of his bed, considered the kunoichi for a moment. The medic for Uchiha lying on his bed.

He thought that there was always something entertaining about disturbing calm waters.

Deidara settled himself next to the girl, could tell by the slight wrinkling of her nose that she had sensed him, and he wasn't at all surprised when her hand shot out to grasp his wrist just as he was about to touch her shoulder.

Her eyes blinked open and her disorientation was obvious as her gaze went to his face. Her grip on his wrist remained firm as she studied him.

Deidara smirked as he watched her try to right her confusion. He could almost see the calculations ticking in her head.

She looked like she was searching for something to say, and she settled on a rather uncouth word.

Deciding to reclaim his arm before she could crush it with her strength, he moved to the other side of the room just as she did the same to the opposing stone wall. He noticed that her first instinct wasn't to attack, but to get her bearings and as much understanding about the situation before coming up with an offensive plan. She had her eyes locked with his as her hands sought for her weapons. They were gone. He had searched her for anything she could use to help her escape or in a confrontation before bringing her in. Her cheeks warmed slightly, and he supposed she had discovered that he had confiscated the wire lining her chest binder and undergarments.

"Louse," he thought he heard her mumble. He sniffed, haughty, as if.

She continued, this time loud enough for him to hear clearly, "I won't be doing you any favours. No pleading, no helpless captive act, and no other ...dishonourable interactions, either."

She hesitated at the last thing, and Deidara found it amusing that she was so confident to make such unyielding statements while still being shy about the subject matter.

"Oh? Are you making the rules, yeah?"

She was stalling, actually, and he knew that.

They both realised how a fight in the room would play out: he couldn't use his explosives easily in closed quarters, and she couldn't bring down the walls without knowing where the room was located (shame if it were underground and she inadvertently caused a lethal cave-in). It would be determined by taijutsu, with one of them armed with enhanced strength and the other with sharp, pointy weapons.

She crouched into a fighting stance, having weighed her options and going with the fight-and-escape course of action. She probably realised the odds were against her, and he wondered if she'd also inherited Lady Tsunade's infamously awful gambling skills.

They moved at the same time, meeting at the end of his bed. She drove a fist at his face and he dropped to avoid it, falling into a kick meant to sweep her legs out from under her. He missed and allowed the swinging momentum to turn his back to her. Her leg came down while he was still crouched over, but he deflected it with his elbow (which stung a lot more than it should have, he thought) and turned his body around with his left arm curled in an uppercut. He was under her guard and the hit connected with the right-side of her rib cage. She curled around his fist, coughing out a pained sound.

Deidara was already smiling when he saw her knee moving straight to his face. The smirk melted off as he cocked his head to side, but her knee still managed to brush his jaw.

Of course, he thought, of course she could summon chakra to her knees. The slight contact was enough to send him reeling backwards, and he twisted awkwardly into a roll before pushing himself upright once again.

She followed him and he knew one more graze would be enough to take him out.

Screw taijutsu, tiny little spider bomb it was. He sent out several.

"Ah – what the hell – ?" as she retreated back from the blasts that served more as flash bangs than anything mortally wounding.

The distance was restored between them, and Deidara took some time to poke at his jaw while he kept his eyes on the girl.

She was low on chakra, panting like a cornered animal and keeping her stance too loose. With all the fighting and healing she had done in the past few days, there was no way she could last much longer. He'd been gathering information on her and observing her for some time, and knew the reserves her body held. Her techniques were executed with the perfect amount of energy needed, and she was aware of her limitations, which meant she always fought in the most efficient manner.

She could only last for so long before her stamina was exhausted.

"Are you going to tell me why I'm being held by Akatsuki or what?" She asked, still breathing heavily.

More stalling.

Despite how much his jaw hurt him, Deidara answered, "what makes you think it's Akatsuki's orders, yeah? Maybe I just wanted some company."

The girl chewed her lip to keep at bay a sardonic smile.

"You would have to kidnap a girl to get some company – " she said, and which, admittedly, he had walked into, but he still blew air at the accusation. "Although you don't seem the type to get lonely and then recklessly risk his neck over a high-profile target such as myself."

"Oh, 'high profile?' Who are you, again?" Deidara baited, innocently allowing his eyes to trace the lines of her face as if he didn't know them.

"This is how your organization is operating now," she said with a question in her tone. "Can't get the jinchuuriki so you're going after their acquaintances? Holding me as some sort of hostage, asking a ransom?"

She was fishing for information, but she had undervalued herself. Completely off the mark and yet Deidara could see why. Knowing who her team mates were, it was all too plausible that she felt lesser in comparison, that she was stubbornly ignorant of her own independent significance.

"You're so sharp, yeah, but wrong. I'm the kind of guy who likes risks. Maybe I don't mind pissing some people off if I thought it were worth it."

She was sceptical of his reasoning, too secure in her own deductions, and missed his slip entirely. She breathed out a dismissive laugh. "Yeah, maybe you're just interested in some revenge for Danna."

Her nonchalance, her flippant words and invitation, were frustrating ...and also welcomed. Deidara put some of his speed to good use and pushed the kunoichi face-first into the stone wall. He gripped both her wrists in his left hand and secured one of her legs by entangling it with his own. He had knocked the wind out of her and she choked dryly for a minute before finally inhaling sharply.

"Are you testing me, yeah? You should rethink that, kunoichi."

Was it her insecurity over her strength that led her to act brashly? Or was it the disappointment in herself about being caught?

Deidara pressed against her, lining their bodies in a way he liked.

She went still and stiff and he realised she was thinking of how the mercenary from the day before had put her clone into a very similar position. It might not have been her body physically, but the experience was imprinted in her mind. She knew what that man had said then and she couldn't be certain Deidara wasn't thinking along the same lines now.

He wasn't thinking quite the same thing.

No, he had a task to give to the medic-nin.

Deidara leaned in closer to speak. "You've been ordered to heal Uchiha. You'll do as instructed without resistance."

There wasn't an immediate response, and he wondered, secretly, quietly, if her insides likewise were twisting from how he held her.

When she spoke, her voice wasn't as breathy and uncertain as he would have liked. "I refuse. Find someone else to heal his eyes."

His eyes?

Deidara's confusion distracted him and for a second his grip loosened.

She thrashed in his weakness and wrenched herself free. It was a wide hit she threw for his throat, aiming for his windpipe but missing. The blow was a glance and without power, and she then went for fleeing instead of fighting.

He was faster than her, though.

Grabbing her elbow as she reached the door, Deidara tossed her back onto the bed and followed her, pining her down in a full mount. Knees holding her legs still and hands biting into her wrists, Deidara hovered over her and frowned.

She was jerking her shoulders from side to side, trying to get her arms free unsuccessfully, and he followed the movements with his eyes. She was both attempting to escape his hold and apparently trying to sink into the mattress at the same time. Wanting to avoid more contact with him, he thought.

"I cannot believe this," she hissed to herself. Repeating again, more vehemently, "louse, absolute louse."

She closed her eyes tightly – either to block out pain or the sight of him above her.

Despite his confusion about her comment regarding Uchiha's eyes, Deidara focused more on her reactions and name calling just then.

"Is that why you blushed earlier, yeah? All that stammering because you're afraid of this?" He rolled the weight on his hips into her a little more and watched her conflicted, fleeting expressions.

Didn't Konoha train their shinobi for this sort of thing?

Take it from them early like Iwa did for him?

Her eyes opened and she stared hard into his own. "I swear to you, whatever torture you do to me I will return it ten fold. Touch me and you will never touch another thing again. I will make you into dust."

If he were honest, that was sort of an exciting promise on her part. It was fun. He might let her hit him again.

"Who's saying anything about torture, yeah?" Deidara raised his eyebrows, let his mouth lift a little in a smirk. "You were the one who brought up those dishonourable interactions. How about you return those ten fold?"

"I said that wasn't going to be happening!" Insistently, but also quietly as if she were embarrassed by the subject.

"You're a fierce kunoichi, yeah, but judging from how you so prettily blushed earlier, it seems you've not had much experience in those 'situations.'"

At the mention of her blush, her cheeks pinked again, despite her obvious effort to remain unaffected, and the effort made him smile. Definitely embarrassed.

It was sort of sad, though, he thought. His smile dropped. He couldn't tease her when they weren't on even footing. Well, more even footing. Teasing like that was more just a terrifying threat to the kunoichi. Torture, she had said.

"I-I'm a medic! Those things – I don't care. I'm not helping you." She fumbled and then found her resolve. "No matter what, I'm not going to betray the people I love. I won't."

Deidara liked that about her. She was so full of energy, so passionate. But she really was being unreasonable.

"We'll see, kunoichi. I doubt you've gone through some of the things I've seen Hidan do to people. It's not just my pretty face that you'd have to worry about, yeah." He saw the hope in her eyes that died just then with the realisation Deidara was not her sole captor. "I know, I know, yeah. I look like I'm not such a tough guy at first glance."

He flashed her his most lovely of smiles. "The fact you say you wouldn't care what happens to you – that's exciting for some people. And I won't be stopping anyone from getting what's asked from you, yeah."

"I already gave you my answer."

He frowned. "Not gonna do it, yeah?"

She had the word "never" on her lips; Deidara could see it there. She yelled it from her pretty, glossy eyes.

But he'd rather she just acquiesced before she had bits of her taken by Hidan. Hidan liked souvenirs.

"I want you to know this, the way my chakra works," Deidara said. He leaned down close to her face. "You're a medic, you can picture this, yeah. The way chakra goes under the skin, into the muscle, can pump its way through veins."

She was very carefully controlled under him.

"And I'm sure you know fire, too. Not just the heat, yeah, but the burning." He heard her breathing cut short. "Turn me into dust, kunoichi – I'll brand you from the inside out."

He would –

A boisterous and not at all apologetic – rather sadistically pleased – voice broke through Deidara's speech. "Sorry to interrupt!"

With a hard, guilty thump in his chest from his heart skipping a beat, Deidara pushed away from the girl. He retreated to other side of the bed before facing their guest standing inside the door.

When had his body relaxed so much? Enough so to miss Kisame's giant form entering the room.

Feeling the atmosphere had shattered with the man's presence, Deidara couldn't keep the rough snap from his lips. "The hell are you doing here?"

In his peripheral vision he saw the kunoichi move to the edge of the bed, composing herself, and he knew his time with her was finished. He watched dispassionately as she healed the bites he'd given her from the mouths on his hands. Erasing him off her so effortlessly.

"Ah, so this is the Haruno Sakura, apprentice to Tsunade," Kisame declared in a tone that was more amused and mocking than appreciative. "Did our brooding hospitality boy manage to explain everything before he jumped you? Probably not, that guy's too hot-blooded."

"Still here, yeah," Deidara reminded the man. He compulsively tugged at his cloak, straightening imaginary lines and wiping off non-existent dust. "Whatever, she gets the idea of what's going on. She's agreed to do what Leader asks of her, yeah."

"I have not," the girl in question scoffed. Matching Deidara's glare, "I'd sooner bite off my tongue."

Reacting as if she were about to do just that, both Kisame and Deidara appeared at her side, each ready to break her jaw to keep her from carrying out the promise. Deidara had one hand at the base of her neck while the other hovered just over her throat; Kisame had Samehada positioned unwaveringly just inches away from her chin.

Her hair fluttered at their movements and she blinked at their speed. Her eyes were wide and her body tense.

Maybe she hadn't really understood just how much of a gap there was between her level and theirs, Deidara thought, sensing how quickly her body had locked up. Really, she shouldn't make such bold statements so lightly.

"Perhaps you can wait on that until after you've spoken to Itachi," Kisame said, a sneer slashed across his face. "Let's see if he can persuade you otherwise. Or would you prefer I just shave off as much skin as Samehada wants until you agree?"

The scales of the blade stretched in anticipation, pulsing under their bandages wrapping his sword.

Deidara felt her swallow and he knew she was thinking over her options. He hoped she would agree to talk to Uchiha; he rather liked her skin attached to her and all in one piece. His grip tightened reflexively when she answered.

In a level-headed, steady voice, she said, "I'm not going to betray my best friend just to save myself some pain. I refuse."

At her assured response, Samehada's bandages released and Kisame moved the blade to her throat without hesitation. The medic-nin didn't flinch, even if she had registered its movement.

But Deidara had, and without thought he blocked its path with his forearm, clenching his teeth as the serrated scales started to tear into his skin.

"Damn it, Kisame," he bit out. "Don't be so impatient, yeah. She can't be roughed up too much or she might go and die on us."

Shit, that was going to bruise and hurt like a wasp-fuck.

A long pause before Kisame carefully withdrew his weapon.

He explained what he'd already figured, "she won't respond to threats of physical harm, anyway."

"I'm not so convinced," the older man murmured.

"Her weakness isn't there, she's already aware of how fragile she is. She'll resist anything we throw at her until she blacks out, yeah." And Deidara wished she hadn't just inclined her chin as if to agree with him.

Did she wonder how he knew her so well? How he just knew where to hit her the hardest?

So he spoke to her then rather than Kisame. "Your vessel-friend is well protected, yeah, but we don't have to go after him to get your compliance. How about that Yamanaka heir? She's cute, yeah. Such a good friend of yours, except no one's really watching her too closely. Be so simple to snap that little thing in half."

Deidara's words struck a nerve. Sakura glared at him, starting to shake, and he thought her hands were itching to suffocate him. Maybe to claw his eyes out?

"You shouldn't underestimate her," she said, intending to be challenging, but it was a lot less confident than how she sounded earlier. "You wouldn't be able to get close to her."

Kisame glanced at the kunoichi then back to Deidara, dubious.

Deidara smiled, knowing it was disconcerting by how she shrank away from his bared teeth. He had her by the nape of her neck and she didn't retreat far.

"Just like how I couldn't get close to the Kazekage?" he asked. His good hand caressed the soft strands of hair under his fingers. "Like how I couldn't get close to you, yeah, the beloved student of the Fifth Hokage?"

She was silent, chewing over his words.

Just to make sure she got the point, he clarified for her, "your family, your friends, mentors, comrades, acquaintances, patients. Give me any reason and I'll go after everyone you've ever even deigned to greet. Any more resistance from you and I'll be happy to transform them all into art. I might even let you watch."

The room hummed in the silence after his colourful assurances.

Her posture lost its stiffness and her eyes were losing their shine, the fire in them abating to a slow burn. Her tone was too bleak. "How can I trust you?"

Deidara pouted, not liking her shift in presentation.

"Even if you gave me your word," she went on, "I know that you'll just end up doing whatever you want in the end. How can I weigh my duties as a kunoichi against my friendships when there's no certainty that you'll keep up your end of the deal? You're a lawless ninja. There are no negotiations in this situation. Nothing good is guaranteed by me helping the enemy. For damage control, the very least I can do is keep silent and not provide you with anything useful, no matter the threats you make."

She was unwavering; she didn't once break eye contact with him while she spoke.

He sighed and pushed away from her, too disgruntled to be so close. He took several steps towards the door just to keep himself from squeezing her until that rational voice cracked.

"Fine," he said from where he stopped next to Kisame, his back to the girl. "See what Uchiha has to say to her. He'll change her mind, yeah, one way or another."

"Itachi won't be ready to see her for a while," Kisame reminded him. "What if I just trained a little, played with her some, until he returns?"

The thought of such a huge man, startlingly shark-like nin, playing in any context was slightly disturbing to Deidara.

He shrugged, "I'm not going to stop you, yeah."

The girl behind him leaped away from the sword, but it was useless. Samehada didn't need to touch her in order to leech out her chakra. She was subdued quickly, backed into the headboard and clearly unconscious with the way her head was lolling over a shoulder. It would cramp painfully if she slept too long like that.

"I bet that was some measly amount of chakra, Samehada. But it's hard to say 'no' when it's just sitting there for the taking." Kisame swung the sword around to strap it against his shoulders once more. "Piss poor play time, eh?"

He patted Deidara good-naturedly as he sauntered out of the room as silently and abruptly as he had arrived.

Deidara watched the empty hallway beyond the doorway for a few moments before he turned around and approached the bed. Mechanically, not minding she was still covered in dirt and dried blood, he shifted the girl into a less awkward sleeping position and rearranged the bedding to cover her.

She was loud and obstinate and talented and loyal – and Akatsuki would sever her spine to make her bow.

o o o

Author's note: Who doesn't like a good ol' brawlin? Man, I love a Sakura who fights. Love it! Remember all the fics where... she ...didn't fight? And all the scenes in the manga, too? What is up with that? Trash.