A/N: This story is a rewrite of an old story I wrote six years ago, I once had it posted on here but changed my mind after I finished it. The old story felt rushed, my characters fell flat and I've learned a whole lot in this time and thought I'd try again.

I want to explore Deidara's manic-prone personality and ego and the personalities these types tend to feed off of. That being said, I love reading and writing stories with original characters, so if you're not into that this probably isn't for you. I should also note that I don't write kunoichi characters, I try to focus more on simple, emotional plotlines that feature somewhat ordinary characters that have a lot of room to grow. Some of the canon plot will be changed for the sake of my plot, so heads up.

Anyways, if this gets read I'd really love to hear feedback, and if you're here because you've followed me from Aus der Traum, oh my god I'm so sorry and I will continue that in time I swear.

Trigger warning: Violence, abuse, and sexual assault.


Chapter One: At the Tea Shop


The stone village was experiencing a very mild winter, though it was still too early into the season to really predict how it would turn in the later months. But even the tame chill that crept through the air was enough to urge villagers into the warm den that was Manami's tea house, it was their busiest time of the year.

"Shinobi!" A small older man whispered as he watched from the storefront window. "Jin, Modoka, get ready to serve them!" Jin turned from the tea rack on the side wall to protest, they had only arrived ten minutes ago and there was still quite a bit of setup still needed before they should take customers. She watched her father bounce on the balls of his feet, lighting up with boyish excitement as he did whenever shinobi came in for a drink. Deciding that it wasn't worth objecting, she stepped down from the ladder and plucked an apron from the rack near the door. Jin's father rushed off to the back kitchen area, stalling just to clap his hands in front of Modoka who was lazily leafing through a magazine.

"Got it Manami-sama," she yawned before prepping the tea bench.

"Long night?" asked Jin curiously.

Modoka sent the younger girl a devious grin, "hardly slept a wink, if you catch my drift," then went on to mimic a crude gesture with her hands.

"Oh Modoka, that's disgusting," Jin laughed and turned to face the door, watching as a group of seven filed in, all outfitted in matching red and brown uniforms and Iwagakure headbands. She bowed deeply in front of them. "Good morning, please, right this way." Jin gestured to her left as she stood back up. Once everyone had gotten comfortable, she took orders and promptly turned back to Modoka. "Alright, we've got two coffees, three greens, and two blacks." She looked up at the blank look across Modoka's face and frowned. "You there?"

"Uh-huh." Modoka slowly dragged her brown eyes over to Jin and with a smirk, lifted her hand to hide her face from the rest of the room. "Don't look now but it looks like you've got an admirer."

"What are you on about…" Jin cast a careful, short look back at the shinobi's table. While six of the group were deep in expressive conversation, the shinobi closest to the window was making no effort to hide his obvious staring. His smirk widened when Jin met his eyes. Quickly, she spun back around, mouth pinched unhappily. "Is he still looking?"

"Sure is. He's kind of…pretty, don't you think?" She snickered as Jin huffed, frantically trying to wave the thought away.

"You've got tea to make, I'm leaving now." An older couple walked through the door and Jin rushed to greet them, sparing a quick glance back at the blonde shinobi. Immediately, she averted her eyes as a blaring blush crept into her cheeks. "Uh, w-welcome" she stammered as she bowed, "right this way."

After tending to a few more incoming customers, she took the orders to Modoka who pushed the shinobi's tray out for her. "You should talk to him," she teased. "I mean, kami, he's still looking at you." Jin scowled and grabbed the tray. Quickly wiping her face of all sour notes, she approached the table with a sweet smile, careful to avoid making eye contact with the blonde at the end. When she finally turned towards him with his cup, her smile tightened uneasily.

"And last but not least…" he reached out to take the cup from her, his fingers sliding across hers as he did so. A small gasp left her lips and she pulled back as if she'd been burned. Ignoring her reaction, he raised the glass and bowed his head, long blonde hair spilling over half his face.

"Much appreciated," he said with a tint of amusement, smirking at her like he dared her to respond. She quickly flustered away, not wanting the whole shop to see the amount of blood her cheeks could hold.

"Oi, Deidara, go easy on the girl, you'll scare her away!" The table erupted in laughter.

Jin kept her head down and focused on her tasks at hand after that, trying her hardest not to wilt under the fervent stare she could feel on the back of her neck. Finally, just as her neck was beginning to strain from the prolonged avoidance, the group of shinobi stood and made to leave. With a sigh of relief, Jin turned back towards the tea bench only to find Modoka and the blonde nin speaking in hushed voices, both turning to look at Jin with identical troublesome expressions. She shook her head and headed back to the store room. Pretending to take inventory, she whirled around to face Modoka when the woman brazenly entered.

"What was that?" Jin hissed, her face hot and palms damp. Modoka laughed unfazed.

"He wanted to know what time your shift ended." Jin paled.

"And what did you say?"

"I said your mother would lose her mind if she saw a man trying to talk to her daughter." Jin felt the ache in her taut shoulders begin to subside as Modoka tacked on, "but I told him seven o'clock would be the best time to find you if he insisted on it."

"Ah! You're the worst!"

The rest of the day passed by quickly, too quickly. Jin was feeling embarrassed, unwilling to admit to even Modoka that she'd never talked to a man in this way before, fact was she'd never done anything with a male besides take his order. What was it even like to be alone with a man? What if her parents saw, how would she explain that? Did she even want this sort of attention? There were too many questions, she felt like she was swimming.

"Jin," her father rounded the corner and caught her by the elbow. "Go ahead and head home, we can finish up here." She glanced at the clock and lit up.

"Are you sure? My shift isn't over for another hour" He nodded and nudged her towards the door of the shop.

"Jin, you work so hard, go enjoy a bath in a quiet house for once."

She laughed and put her hands up in surrender. "All right, all right, I'm gone." She hung up her apron and replaced it with a thick coat, grabbing her books, she headed for the door. The sun was just beginning to set, making the rocky structures that surrounded the village glow in the light. But for as warm as it may have looked, the air was frigid.

"Hey, onna," a lazy drawl from behind her took her by surprise and she turned fearfully. The blonde boy was no longer in his work garb, even his headband had been removed.

"Oh," she replied curtly, "it's you." She made to turn away before frowning suddenly and shooting him an untrusting glare. "You're early."

"Huh?"

"Modoka told you I got off at seven, it's barely six. Have you been waiting out here?"

He snorted and waved her accusation away. "Coincidence, you just happened to interrupt my evening walk." She stared back, unamused.

"Is that right?"

"And look at that," he continued, "it just so happens we're walking in the same direction." He grinned and tilted his head to the side, letting his hair fall from his face so that he could look at her fully. "Would you mind?"

She fixed him with a short glare before sighing in defeat. "If you insist." She turned away and he fell easily in step next to her. They walked in a heavy silence with him every once in a while stealing glances at her.

"Not much of a talker, eh?"

"Something like that," she replied coolly.

"I've never seen you around, don't you have any friends?" What tact, she thought.

"I enjoy smaller company, namely myself." She threw a flat look at him. "And what about you? Shouldn't you be out with your friends instead of bothering a girl you don't know?" He smiled and closed his eyes smugly.

"Didn't I say I was on a walk? It's not my fault you showed up."

"And where are you headed?"

"Wherever you're headed."

"Oh?"

"I can't in good conscience let a woman walk home alone in the dark, now can I?" He raised his hand up as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. "Shinobi code." Jin looked over and caught a genuine smile on his young features, making her laugh.

"You're a clever one, aren't you?"

He shrugged, "I try."

"May I ask your name?"

"It's Deidara."

"Well, nice to formally meet you Deidara, I'm Jin." She extended a hand to him and he shook it happily. "And…" she looked ahead, "this would be my house." Jin stopped walking and turned towards Deidara, bowing. "Thank you for ensuring my safety, you make your village proud."

He gave a loud laugh and she stood up with a smile. "See you again?" He asked.

"Will you now?"

"Well, now that I know where you live," he winked at her suddenly blank expression. "Night, kid." Slowly, a smile found her mouth and she gave him a small wave as he saluted her. Turning away she hurried up her walkway and unlocked the door.

"What a strange person," she laughed and stepped inside.

Jin decided to take her father's suggestion, drawing a bath she stripped of her clothes, sparing a short look in the mirror at her naked form before feeling uncomfortable from the exposure. She stepped into the bath and sank low so that her mouth was submerged. Here she thought over her entire day detail by detail. A strange disconnect touched at her chest as she thought about her parents and how she had behaved in a way they surely wouldn't approve of. What made matters worse is that she had a choice of lying to them by omission or spilling and facing whatever came her way. She blew a stream of frustrated bubbles out her mouth and resurfaced. That boy, what was he aiming for? And she might as well ask herself the same question as a small part of her hoped he'd hold true to seeing her again. Attention from the opposite sex was something she always knew existed, saw it happen in front of her, but never experienced it herself. It was kind of wonderful, she felt good about it.

"Ah," but her parents. This was an impossible fantasy because even if she did see him again, if he wasn't planning to marry her, her mother wouldn't be having it. And without her mother's approval Jin might as well wipe the day's events clear from her head forever. She closed her eyes and let herself sink completely under the water, thinking of her life in a different place, in a different family, as a different person.