Wanted

Sakura wasn't ever expecting to become a missing nin, but then again she never thought Sasuke would marry Ino either. Deidara/Sakura

This story took life in response to CirenWitch's Deidara/Sakura challenge. Enjoy everyone.

YvonneandNeji

Chapter Four: Welcome Home

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Sakura stood on shaking legs, her face pale and drawn. Deidara continued to smirk, pulling her hands from his dark cloak; it was harder than he had expected. "Sakura, you can let go now, yeah." She finally looked at him, blinking in puzzlement.

"Huh?"

"We're on land now."

She finally loosened her grip and looked around them. "Oh, right." She laughed nervously, not moving away from him. "Where are we?"

"Near my home, I'll have to contact the leader about your acceptance and then in a few days when everyone has gathered we will leave."

"Leader? Doesn't he," she paused. "Or she, have a name?"

Deidara glanced at her from over his shoulder, "if he does I don't know it." He came to an abrupt stop, pointing ahead. "There, yeah."

Sakura followed his finger, gasping in surprise at the simple beauty the awaited her view. A large waterfall sat on the edge of a larger lake, the mist rose and created a mysterious air. She frowned as Deidara began walking atop the water towards the waterfall.

"What- Where are you going?"

He glanced at her over his shoulder, his face amused. "Don't tell me you can't do a simple chakra exercise?"

"Of course I can!" She yelled back indignantly, fisting her hands at her sides. "I asked where you were going!"

"Home, yeah."

"Home?" She echoed, watching him get farther away.

"Yes, now are you coming or not?" She waited another minuet before carefully following him out onto the lake, the chakra at her feet keeping her from sinking under. Deidara cast her another amused glance, a smile tugging at his lips.

Sakura ignored the look, concentrating on her surroundings. Something about the place was off; she didn't understand what though. Sighing Sakura sped up, hurrying to the blonde's side. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye but said nothing, only held a palm forward.

Sakura reeled back, looking at his palm in horror. "What is that?!"

"Un?" He held the palm up to his face, eyeing the mouth smiling back up at him. He looked up at her, his voice full of false lightness. "My blood line ability." He smiled back at the palm, turning it back over. "It's not pretty like the sharingan; it's not even all that useful."

The mouth twisted into an almost scowl, Sakura knew if it could- it would no doubt be cursing the man off. Sakura smiled taking his hand carefully. Deidara tried to tug the hand away as her hands began to glow with chakra.

"Stop moving, I'm not going to hurt you," she admonished holding tighter to his hand. The man reluctantly let her take control and settled for watching her. Her small pink brows met in concentration, she wet her lips before chewing them. Deidara shivered and tried to focus on what she had just done.

Sakura watched the hands eat her chakra in amusement. Deidara shivered almost violently staring down at her with glassy eyes. "W-What'd you do, un?"

"Nothing really," she replied, biting back at her surprise. "They seem to like chakra."

"That's never happened before, yeah."

"Really?" She stared at the happily smiling mouths, the other hand had come up to face her as well. "Their almost alive."

"Un, if you say so." Sakura traced his palm before letting his hand go.

"It may not be pretty like the sharingan, but I think, you have the most amazing blood line ability I've ever seen."

Deidara came to a halt, his body frozen in shock. Sakura cast him a small smile over her shoulder, waving to him. "You coming or not?!"

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Naruto sat silently, his body tense. "Naruto, I understand you're reasoning's in this matter, but I think you should--"

Naruto watched the haughty man, his rage towering beyond all possibilities. This man, who was Hokage. He should have been Hokage; he should be the one sitting there, not that selfish pig! A nameless ANBU chosen solely so that Naruto and Kyuubi could never lead Konoha. Protect Konoha.

Ino sat silently beside him her face tilted downwards, a splotchy bruise covering her cheek the only sign of the chaos that had passed only minuets before. Naruto watched her before turning to the man currently berating them for hurting precious Sasuke...Traitor Sasuke. Naruto had never done anything in his life without first thinking of Konoha, but did they care? Oh no, they'd rather protect a lying, slimy bastard who would turn traitor again in the blink of an eye.

The man continued to talk, not noticing, or maybe not caring, that neither was listening to him. "You could have seriously hurt Uchiha-san, and we all know how valuable he is to the village--"

Naruto snapped, looking coldly at the man who still rambled on, Ino reached out to grab his arm, her eyes studying his angry face. "I'm resigning from ANBU." Ino's pretty mouth fell open as she stared at him is disbelief.

"And that's why--what?"

"I. Am. Resigning. From. ANBU. Should I say it any slower; lord knows you haven't been graced with brains enough."

"H-How dare you!"

"Is that truly a question? Then I suppose I should answer with a, 'how dare you!' Traipsing about in those robes, if you are as strong as you'd like to think, fight me now. Your death will tell no lies." Naruto stood his chair falling loudly to the floor behind him, the man stared back at him, his face slowly paling.

Ino grasped his jacket, her eyes wide; she spoke hurriedly to him, her voice not above a whisper. "What are you doing Naruto?!"

"What I've wanted to do for years." Naruto answered, reaching over the large desk to grab the man who called him self the Hokage, pulling his fist Naruto let it fly, reveling in the loud crack that filled the air. Ino's grip went tighter her face losing all color, she watched as the Hokage didn't get back up, he seemed to be unconscious.

"Naruto are you crazy?!"

Naruto turned to her, his face more serious than she had ever seen. "Ino, you have nothing here right?"

"I guess so, b-but."

"Neither do I. I'm leaving here tonight, meet me by training ground three at midnight if you want to leave with me. I'll only wait until thirty past. Lord knows I'm going to be hunted down for this."

Ino chewed her lips her eyes filling with tears, her hands shook almost violently loosing their hold on his jacket. "But you'll be a missing nin!"

"Konohagakure has nothing left to offer me. It's robbed my of my youth and of my greatest friend, my heart, and soon my very soul. I will not stay any longer. The choice is yours Ino."

He brushed her hands away, exiting calmly through the doors he had entered through, Ino bit her lip, looking from the closing doors to the groaning man on the floor. Her mind made she raced to find the bags she had left behind.

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Sakura stopped under the tall arch sitting cozily at the base of the waterfall, Deidara raised his hands in an unfamiliar seal. Chakra rose in the air around him, raising the hairs upon the back of her neck. Slowly, ever so slowly, the falling water died down, becoming nothing more than an occasional trickle.

Deidara glanced at her, "hurry. It will only stay parted for so long, mm." She nodded and followed him as the large boulder standing in their way lifted sluggishly, almost dropping back down. When it finally lifted high enough to satisfy her blonde companion did they resume moving.

Sakura remained close to his side, reluctant to move too far away. He turned his face away, sufficiently hiding his smile. She let her eyes roam over the room devouring what she saw. It was simple, rock mostly. Water dripped from the 'roof' and the floor was covered in it.

Lights flickered ahead and Deidara frowned, Sakura watched curiously as he reached into the bag at his side, gasping as he raised his palm to show his small mouth molding clay quickly. She hadn't known that was how he had managed to mold his little birds so quickly.

But before he could use the miniature bird for anything, a loud voice rang clear through the large hall. Deidara scowled and squashed the defenseless bird.

"Deidara-senpai!!"

Sakura blinked as something small and black barreled into Deidara, knocking them both to the ground. "Un! Damn it Tobi!"

"Ah! Tobi is sorry, but he missed Deidara-senpai ever so much!" Deidara growled and pushed the smaller boy away, launching himself up from the ground.

"Of coarse you are Tobi."

Sakura watched hiding her smile behind a slender hand, Tobi turned and faced her, his mask seeming to swirl with the movement. "Ah, you are Sakura!"

"...Yes." She managed not to look confused as he leapt forward, shaking her hand enthusiastically.

"Your are so pretty, much more so than in the picture! Tobi is so pleased to meet you, Miss Sakura!" Sakura nodded dumbly, letting him wildly shake her hand.

"Thank...Thank you."

Deidara made an irritated noise before stepping forward to break the contact of their hands. "Leave her alone, Tobi. I've got to contact the leader, yeah."

But Tobi didn't seem to hear; in fact his excitement only seemed to grow, "so you're going to be a member? We don't have any girls! You'll be the first ever!"

Sakura smiled still nodded as if she was following him, "right."

"And we can be friends!"

"--She doesn't want to be your friend, yeah!" Deidara stopped, the veins at his forehead pulsing. "What are you doing here anyway Tobi?"

"Zetsu-sama went away and now Tobi is lonely!"

Deidara glowered, "so what am I? Your baby-sitter, mm?"

"No! Deidara-senpai is Tobi's friend!" Deidara tossed Tobi a blank look, Sakura coughed and turned to the masked-boy.

"So Tobi, are you also a member of Akatsuki?"

He faced her, she couldn't see it, but she knew he was smiling. "Yes! Though I've never really been a real member."

"Oh? So, where are you from?"

Deidara's eye twitched as he tried to drone out their incessant chatter. He looked down at his ring, taking in the vibrations it sent. Pushing some of his chakra into the small ring he waited to hear the reply. Sighing dejectedly Deidara faced the moron and the girl once more, "tomorrow everyone will gather for your inauguration."

"Right." Sakura nodded, moving to his side, Tobi followed like a happy puppy. Deidara cast the boy another annoyed glace before opting to ignore him all together. Tobi and Sakura chatted easily, talk flowing quickly between them. Deidara refused to pout- though he felt the strong urge to do so- Sakura was his partner!

The sudden possessive thought halted his movements, leaving him standing in the middle of the damp hall, Sakura stopped in front of him giving him a confused look over her shoulder.

"Deidara?"

"It's nothing, mm." He brushed the strange moment aside, vowing to worry about it later. They finally came upon another stone-like doorway; it was much smaller and therefore took the man half the time to open it. As she had before, Sakura moved to his side and walked silently through the doorway. Deidara felt the strange urge to send a smirk Tobi's way.

Shaking his head Deidara stepped up the small stone stairs, as he reached the top he held out a hand for the pink-haired girl. She looked at him, astonished, but then took his hand with a murmured thanks. Deidara easily hefted her up, leaving Tobi behind to get in himself. The boy did so, grumbling something under his breath.

Sakura stopped, her body frozen in shock. Deidara smiled, his eye crinkling into a crescent-shape. "Welcome home, Sakura, un!"

"Yeah, yeah!! Welcome home!"

"Shut up Tobi!"

Sakura stared at the beauty of the room, all polished rock and soft rugs, for the first time in a long time, it really felt like home. She turned to smile brightly at the bickering men. "It's good to be home, yeah."

Tobi blinked, "Sakura-san makes fun of you too!"

"That's it! Death by beating!"

Tobi screamed and raced through the large halls, Deidara hot on his trail. Sakura watched, laughing easily, her mind at ease for what seemed to be the first time in forever.

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I am so sorry for the long wait; I've been having a horrible time at AFF with trying to upload my stories so I've been slacking with writing this. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, again I'm very sorry for the wait! Feedback is much wanted!