Love Knows No Bounds

Chapter 22

Kakashi gave the order and all the keypads were disabled. I quickly wedged my crowbar into the crack and pushed on it with all my strength. The door popped and Naruto quickly jumped to help me get the door open. Once that was taken care of, Naruto burst in, forcing us all to follow. 

It wasn't the inside of a normal cave. It was giant, and spacious, filled with gadgets, metal tables and iffy medical equipment. Stains - blood probably - dotted rocks and the floor. Machines whirred and beeped, echoing along the cave walls. 

I looked to Naruto, barely keeping his anger under control. He was seething, looking like he was about to tear everything apart. I then followed his gaze, to where stood before us Deidara and a hunched guy buried in his cloak. 

"Where do you think you're sitting?" Naruto growled. 

Upon closer inspection, Deidara was sitting on a very lifeless Gaara. My stomach instantly dropped and I rapidly blinked my eyes to keep them dry. He wasn't dead, there was no way I could accept that. 

"Wow, he really wasn't lying. Sure enough, the other person hyped up on special serum juice barked first. Who would've thunk that one has been this close to me this whole time. The agency must've went through great lengths to hide you," Deidara sneered. 

It was weird, seeing him in this light. I knew he was always eccentric, often going on about his art, but he was one of the more calculating ones and always seemed a bit calmer and less arrogant with me. If I had any chance of escaping the Akatsuki, I thought that he would be the best chance (not that I would ever go to him for help anyway) but he always seemed to have a small reserve for being on my side. 

I could tell, this was going to get real ugly, real fast. 

I heard Kakashi call for the others over the radio, requesting back up to make sure the two members before us couldn't escape. I'm sure he had already thought what I was starting to realize: this whole place could be rigged. 

I tensed, getting my body ready to fight or move in a single instance. Naruto was still seething, too angry to think rationally. By the look on Kakashi's face, I knew the others had run into trouble and that they weren't coming, at least not for awhile. 

The other member spoke, telling Deidara not to get too cocky and something about the quota being one per member. Deidara disregarded him though, already finding the next button to push on Naruto. 

"Gaara! wake up Gaara!" Naruto yelled. What was he doing? Was he really that naive? "What are you doing just laying there? This isn't a time to sleep." he was desperate, it was more like a plea. 

"He's been dead for awhile, at least, close to it," Diedara replied smugly, smacking Gaara's cheek. 

Naruto started fuming and I could almost visibly see the serum working through his veins. 

"Give Gaara back you bastards!" Naruto through something at the hooded one, but a large metallic tail came up and blocked it. Deidara lifted his arm and threw something on the ground, causing a cloud of smoke to billow up and fill our lungs. As soon as it cleared, Deidara was almost out of the cave, Gaara over his shoulder, heading for a jeep to escape. 

Without any hesitation or any type of plan, Naruto peeled after him. 

"Damnit Naruto!" Kakashi yelled. 

"Go, we can handle this," Lady Chiho never took her eyes off of Sasori. 

Kakashi hesitated. He looked to me and I nodded. He pursed his lips and went after Naruto, someone was going to have to keep him under control. Instead of taking the car we came in, the opted for a pair of bikes that rested by the mouth of the cave.