Deidara's Love ~ The Soft Side of the Akatsuki (Deidara x OC)

Chapter 25: Sweet Lips

Yukari felt her heart nearly jump out of her chest when she recognized the man in front of her: none other than Deidara. He was staring straight into her presently golden eyes, wearing his Akatsuki cloak and looking perfectly alive.

"DーDei..." she breathed. But that shocked feeling quickly faded away as she shook her head vigorously and rubbed her eyes. "No, no... he's dead. I'm hallucinating, aren't I?"

Standing, she began to walk off again in the direction she still sensed their weak chakra signatures. She froze when she heard his voice again.

"No, I'm alive, un," it said.

Cocking her head to one side Yukari flicked her ear, muttering, "Hm, I'm hearing things too?" After shrugging she readied to speed off until something jerked her backwards.

"You're not imagining anything," she heard Deidara's voice say again. She whipped around and found that he was gripping onto her arm tightly, the firm touch as proof of life.

"Iーwhat?" Her level of confusion stepped up a few notches as both Sasori and Itachi stepped out from behind other pieces of shrubbery. They both walked over and stood on either side of the very-much-alive bomber.

"That's correct," Itachi spoke. "He isn't dead."

"It... it can't be," Yukari breathed. "But Danna,  youーyou and Ita-kunー?"

"Lied," Sasori interrupted. "but we did deliberately and on purpose."

"Howーhow could you?!" Her eyes widened as Deidara gently brushed a finger on her cheek.

"You were ignoring me for so long," Deidara explained. "it seemed as if I didn't matter to you anymore. So Danna came up with this plan, yeah."

Sasori nodded in confirmation. "Everyone knows how much you love him, Yukari," he stated. "so I thought, 'How would she react if he died?' In truth, your reaction wasn't what I'd expected."

With a shaky hand Yukari pulled at the ribbon still keeping her hair up, the other pulling her mask down. She held it in her hands and inspected it carefully before looking up at Deidara again. His azure eyes were peering down at her intently, that same long strand covering his left one. That was when she realized his hair was down, the ribbon that usually styled it in her very hands.

"I... I..." she whimpered, her breathing starting to become more labored and erratic. Then with eyes full of terror and regret, she stared at the other members in sorrow. "...I thought you were really gone."

Guilt hit her like a brick wall, slamming into her heart and nearly knocking the air out of her lungs. She wobbled and crumbled to her knees, eyes glued on the thin piece of satin entwined with her fingers.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered harshly. "I'm so, so sorry, DeidaーDei-kun. I didn't know, and I shouldn't haveーIーI just wasn't thinkingーI'm sorry, Iー" Sobs cut her off and bubbled out of her throat, coming out in pitiful cries as drops of melancholy trickled from her dimming eyes in steady streams.

"No," he hushed gently, kneeling beside her. "It isn't your fault. You didn't know, un."

"I don'tーI'm the most despicable being on thーthis planet!" Using one palm to cover her mouth, she wept into it whilst clutching the ribbon tightly in the other.

Behind him Itachi and Sasori caught each others eyes, both filled with some sort of misery; and nodded in unison, turning before disappearing behind the brush.

"You're not despicable," Deidara argued. "there's no reason for you to trash yourself, yeah."

"No, Iーyou deserve someone better," Yukari insisted, eyelashes drenched in tears. "I'm a tainted shinobi, who thought nothing ofーof killing and left you to suffer alone for my mistakes!"