Take Me Away || itadei

Chapter 8: Concerns

Deidara wakes up to the sight of a campfire. The flames crackling, burning its way through the wood until only ash is left behind. He scans the area around him with heavy, dull eyes. He feels as though someone had consumed all his energy, his body numb and sore, and his brain pounding against his skull. He is sure he has multiple physical wounds and bruises.

Deidara turns over onto his back, slowly and carefully, as to not injure himself more than he already has. The bandages around his torso, chest and shoulder tight around his figure.

"Awake, I see." The voice startles Deidara, causing him to flinch. Slightly. Deidara, recognizing the owner of the voice, hums in response. He didn't want to talk. There is no need. If he admits it, he is embarrassed. Mortified. There is only one solution as to who treated his wounds, and even worse is the fact that he saw him in such a state. How embarrassing.

-----

Gripping his kunai tightly while the other hand closed in a tight fist, Deidara launches himself towards his opponent once again. Teeth clenching, he swings his fist towards the face, the kunai following close behind as a hidden attack. However, both his attacks were futile. His fist caught by the man's open hand, he pulled him down and kneed him in the stomach near his ribs causing the blond to cough vigorously. Weakened and down on his knees, the man knees Deidara again in the chin, the boy falling back with a thud, gasping for breath. His cyan eyes teary the more he coughs, trembling as he pushes his heavy lump of flesh off the dirtied ground of the cave. There is nowhere to run.

Gaining back his senses, Deidara rubs the excess tears from his eyes. Determination lighting up in his eyes. He slips one hand in his pocket filled with clay, letting the mouth on his palm work its magic while distracting the man with his own clones, buying time for each of his clay minions to come to life. His clones attack the man simultaneously with punches, kicks and shuriken shadow clones, leaving the man no time to lose focus from his opponents. At that moment, a brief moment where he defeated all the shadow clones, he is greeted with clay figurines surrounding him, separating him from Deidara. A snake clay suddenly appears from beneath the ground under the man's feet, circling its way up to his body, latching itself onto him as he resists, the snake restricting his movements. With a heavy smirk, Deidara makes a single hand sign as bright, blinding light begins to fill the entire cave. Deidara fleeing the opposite direction.

"Katsu!"

-----

"Zukuro."

"What?"

"That's his name. The man in the cave. I assume you finished him after I blacked out." Deidara mumbles into the thin blanket around him, his eyes glued to the night sky.

"How..."

Itachi gets up from beneath the shade of the tree he leaned against, striding towards Deidara's limp form. He stares down at the blond, an indescribable expression dawning his face.

"How I found you, you mean." the latter nods.

"Pain had me follow you. In case of situations such as... this."

Deidara grumbles, turning away from Itachi's stare which is slowly getting on his nerves.
The past few months had been a complete disaster. Deidara could no longer hold the image of a confident, defiant teen. Along the way to completing his missions, overcoming his fears and persistence in training himself to become unaffected by the Sharingan, he found a part of himself lost. Again.

-----

The mouth of the cave collapsed—total destruction. Deidara himself barely escaped the debris, many sharp rocks scratching his skin. With the only entry and exit gone the blond now has to find an alternate exit, which, is only moving forward. He was sure the surprise attack was a success, though he couldn't help a feeling of dread lingering at the back of his head. It disturbed him so much to the point he began to grow paranoid, glancing over his shoulder every now and then just to make sure he wasn't being followed. Beneath the very ground he walks on he was careful with each step he took while he produces extra clay figures in times of a surprise [attack].

The boy walked for what felt like hours with no luck of finding an exit, only the route taking him deeper and deeper into the cave's hungry mouth. He began to grow drowsy, the cave swirled around him. Surely it hadn't been that long with no food nor water. No nothing. He didn't feel his stomach growl in frustration nor does he feel the need to rehydrate. Something was wrong. He knew. But what was it? He knew but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, couldn't quite name what was happening, but he was sure it wasn't something. It was someone.

-----

"Must you be so reckless? Have you not learnt a thing from past experiences?" Itachi growls, not letting the boy sleep in peace. He had enough rest.

The boy groans, irritated. Why can't the Sharingan-user leave him in peace? He didn't ask for much, didn't want anything. Just a time for himself, is that too much to ask for? "In all honesty, Uchiha, I came prepared. But–"

"But not prepared enough." Itachi finished the sentence for him, crossing his arms over his chest, glaring at the poor kid. He scowls authoritatively, lacking menace. He's never been irritated before–not like this. More often than not Itachi would remain passive whenever something has gone wrong, never letting anything waver him, never letting his emotions get to him. So why does this kid change him? Perhaps the whole deal with capturing the Bijuu was starting to affect him.

Deidara groans, tired of his voice already. Sure, he's glad he's alive but he doesn't need Itachi of all people to start reprimanding him.

He sits up, his hair no longer tied up with loose strands sticking out from all sides. He reaches for his weapon pouch beside him only to find an empty space. Rummaging through his coat and under his crop-top which was used as his pillow to find nothing.

He abruptly stands to face Itachi; his jaw clenched so hard his wounds ache, ignoring the tear on one of the wounds reopening on his abdomen. The sweet pain was nothing compared to what he's experienced before. Said man keeps his gaze fixated on the vast land beyond him, ignoring the teen's rebellious fury.