The Secrets We Keep *COMPLETE* (Sasori x OC? / Itachi x OC?)

Drifting

 Maeme watches the clouds drift by as she lays back on Deidara's large clay bird, her peace disturbed by Sasori and Deidara's argument of the true arts. They'd been bickering for six hours on whether art is a fleeting, beautiful moment or truly eternal. Maeme lets out an exaggerated sigh before rolling over to her stomach to glare at the men.

"Hey! Listen you two bumbling idiots, art is whatever the hell you decide to make it. Shut up about it already."

"What do you think about it Maeme-kun?" Deidara asks, seeming to ignore her previous comment.

"I personally prefer destructive art. To me, beauty is in the end of things. But I suppose if I had to choose between your ideals, I appreciate the intricacies of Sasori's puppets, but I prefer the visuals of Deidara's in action. Also, don't call me Maeme-kun or I will strangle you."

Maeme's explanation leads to silence, so she rolls back over to continue cloud watching. Two minutes pass and their argument resumes, now with the added touch of Maeme thinking Deidara's is better.

The argument dies as the sun sets to Maeme's relief. Deidara comes to sit beside her, dangling his legs off the edge of the bird. Sasori is on the other side tweaking his puppet body. Maeme pulls an orange from her bag and begins to peel it with a kunai. She offers the blond a slice before eating her own, dropping the peel to the ground below. Deidara bites his lip before deciding to ask Maeme about how she ended up with the Akatsuki.

"It's my job to make sure that man sulking over there doesn't die." she answers with a shrug. "Where he goes, I go. It's been this way for many years."

"You don't seem to get along very well though, un. Why do this if you can't stand each other?"

"We have different personalities and beliefs, so we butt heads. No one gets along all the time but we have our moments."

"What was your life like before this, un?"

"I was in the ANBU but when I wasn't out on jobs, I spent time reading or making sure he wasn't starving to death at his desk. It was harder to keep him alive before he turned himself into a puppet. He is still as stubborn as he was then."

"I heard that."

"Well I would hope so. You aren't that far away." She calls over her shoulder. "You are a very stubborn man."

"Did you have any other partners before me?" Deidara asks, cutting off the brewing argument.

Maeme laughs at Sasori's harsh huff as she nods her head.

"We went through at least twenty partners before you. You have survived longer than most of them, so you're doing pretty well."

Deidara's eyes widen at her nonchalance. "What happened to the others?"

"Well, Orochimaru was the first, he was obsessed with me and tried to kill Itachi before defecting. Gin was next, he was an idiot and pervert, leading to death by Sasori. Riku died in battle after two weeks, there were about five more that either died by Sasori or in battle. I've killed a partner or two myself. I don't remember most of them or even what their names were. I had one last through the first training session. He grabbed my ass and talked about having his way with me. I was going to let him survive a while longer, but someone-" she gives a pointed look in Sasori's direction. "-showed up and made him explode throughout the room."

"Any tips for survival, un?"

Maeme gets to her feet and stretches, enjoying the breeze whipping through her hair. She definitely enjoyed this mode of transportation over walking everywhere. Their trip would've taken two weeks on foot. They're hoping to cut the time to a week with as few stops as possible. She glances down at Deidara, debating the answer to his question.

"Hm, I think your best bet for surviving the Akatsuki would be don't piss anyone off and don't get killed in action. To survive me, don't sexually harass me and stay out of my way in fighting or training. To survive Sasori, basically don't mess with me, don't annoy him, and don't waste his time. Easy, right?"

She watches in amusement as his expressions change as he processes her words. She lightly pats the top of his head before walking over to Sasori to check on him. He briefly glances up at her before returning to the book in his hands. With a sigh, she sits beside him, bringing her legs to her chest. Her gaze falls to the treetops passing below them. Deidara's question about them not getting along brought up memories of when they spoke more often.

"So... I'm sorry that I haven't been around very much." She mumbles.

"Why?"

"Well, as much as I know we don't exactly get along, I feel like I didn't make our lives any easier by basically avoiding you."

"You chose to keep other company. I have no control over your actions." He replies, his voice coming out tense.

"I have a question if you don't mind. I would like an actual honest answer please."

"What is it?"

"Shortly after we got to the Akatsuki and we started to fight, you told me that I was a burden and you didn't want me around... I want to know why you said that and why you fought so hard to keep me around after I tried to leave. I tried to ask before but you wouldn't tell me." 

"I just never understood your motives to follow me and protect me. I considered you a burden because I worried for your safety at my hand. At the time I didn't know what I felt toward you and why I acted harshly, though I have since realized what it meant. I was too late to act upon those feelings of course."