A Promise Made of Clay (Deidara X Reader)

VI

(The art isn't mine. If you maybe know the artist please tell me so I can credit them.)

Deidara's head was pounding, every cell in his body screaming for oxygen. He managed to keep his head out of the water, but the only thing he saw was complete darkness. After only thirty seconds more he was sinking again, his legs tired and struggling to bring him back toward the surface. With extraordinary effort he broke the surface of water again, gulping at the humid air and then with barely a splash he was under the water again. This time he sunk faster; the panic had his heart hammering against his ribs. When he could no longer hold his breath the cold-water rushed in, all the illusions of surviving gone. Soon oxygen deprivation took away his thoughts. Darkness enveloped him. The water closed in around him, filling him with deep dread. Now he was drifting, drifting, drifting down through the cold pitch-black water. Before his consciousness drifted away with his body, he felt a mysterious force pulling his coat towards the surface again. His head broke the surface of the water again and he automatically took a deep breath. He was coughing uncontrollably, still unable to see anything around him.

"See what happens when you're a crazy moron?" (Y/N) yelled, barely pulling Deidara's cold body on a dry surface above water. "Fire style: Spark jutsu."

Orange light illuminated the cave once again. Deidara was gasping for air while lying down on the cave floor. After checking on him, (Y/N) looked around and noticed a body of water that seemed to flow into the darkness. On her right side was a dark path. She looked up and noticed how far down they fell, assessing it was around ten meters. However, her judgment could not have been completely trusted. She made similar mistakes in the past as well. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she noticed her bow in the water, flowing into the darkness, however, her quiver was still on the floor next to her. It made her relax.

"I must have dropped it." She thought. "If Deidara attacks me again I'm as good as dead, but at least I have some of my arrows to defend myself."

"Hey!" She called for him. "Do you feel any better? Can you get up?"

"Yeah." He answered simply, trying to move his right arm. "Hey, what are you doing?"

(Y/N) stabbed Deidara's arm with a poisonous arrow. He moved away, but it was too late. The poison had already entered his system. He tried to reach for his kunai, but his hands were, once again, completely paralyzed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He yelled in anger.

"If you want to stay alive, you can't do this alone and neither can I. Since I cannot trust you, I paralyzed your arms. If you want to fight me, fight me. At least this way you won't be able to kill me." She explained.

"Why are you even helping me? I never asked for your pathetic help"

Deidara felt humiliated. Not only did he lose to a significantly weaker opponent, but he was also saved by them. He tried to dissect (Y/N)'s unusual behavior. She saved him despite the fact he tried to kill her and she didn't even ask for an apology. A girl whose existence seemed so plain and meaningless now got tightly wrapped around his own. He compared her to a dry piece of clay that could have been, but never was. She seemed more like an artist then a meaningless existence. Now that her image has become more mysterious, intriguing and evidently important, it was easier for Deidara to tame his anger. His intentions were far from noble, however. Artist or not, (Y/N) was a threat bound to be eliminated.