Author's Note: Yes, this is the new story I was telling you guys about. This one however is an AU. The story is loosely based on the opening song to guilty crown. Listen to it if you haven't...I'm in love with it. But then again I love any song that has such a strong presence. Music and move a person in such a powerful way. So I wanted to share that idea and feeling in this new story. I hope you guys will like it.

Dedication: Even though this is loosely based on "My Dearest", I'd also like to dedicate this fic to deadweight5. I was also lightly inspired by their story called "I'll show you how to love again" so please check out their story...it's really good! :) Also to all my fans from my other Deidara and Sakura fics, thank you so very much for all your support!

Disclaimer: You know the drill...never will own it.

Super Special Thanks: To Springflake for being the best Beta reader a person could ever ask for :)

Threshold

Chapter one "Home Welcoming"

The room was damp, dark and cold. Huddled in a corner, she drew her legs up, leaning her back against the cold stone wall. She looked up at the only window in the room. About 20 feet above her, and hopelessly out of reach. It was impossible to see the outside world. But that didn't stop her from imagining what it must be like. She had been imprisoned for what seemed like forever. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember the simplest things...How she got here, for instance. And who she was. And, most importantly, why she was here. Her only hope was the thought that somebody out there might know she was here and that sooner or later they would come and rescue her. Looking up at the window, a sliver of light cast over her in a mysterious glow. Her emerald green eyes glistened and her battered and scarred porcelain skin seemed to glitter in the light. Despite her plight, she almost looked angelic. When she opened her mouth, the song flowing through her lips carried a strong melody. As if with her song alone she was reaching out. And it was hypnotic.

Deep blue eyes shot open, and Deidara sat up. The song still echoed in his head. It was such a simple song, but so powerful that even when he woke up he couldn't get it off his mind. Breathing deeply, he attempted to calm down his heart beating quickly. He got up and pulled on his PJ pants before walking out of the room and heading for the kitchen. There, he grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it up with water from the tap. He took a sip and shut off the water, leaning back against the counter. A deep sigh escaped his lips.

This wasn't the first time he'd had this dream. He's had it for a couple of years now. It used to be every now and then, and at first there wasn't much detail to it. Now, he was able to make out that those dreams were centered around a girl. But besides that he knew nothing else. She looked to be in a tower of some sorts...locked away in the darkness. It was heart wrenching, but he had no idea why such dream would plague him. Placing the glass in the sink, he returned to his room and lay down on his back. He glanced over at the clock and saw that it was 5:30 am. He sighed. He'd have to get up to get to school soon anyway.

His family recently moved into town and he was starting his senior year at the most prestigious school for miles around; Konoha Academy. He looked over at his school uniform and rolled his eyes. Back in the States he never had to wear a uniform and frankly, he liked it like that. He didn't like the idea of this forced unity. He liked being his own person. Being unique. As a matter of fact, he had no idea why his parents wanted to send him to this school. He would have been better off going to a public school, since his parents weren't exactly rich. He wasn't especially smart either. He figured he was only able to get into the school because his father was best friends with the headmaster.

'An excellent education will prepare you for an excellent life.' He recalled his dad saying the other day.

At least one good thing out of it is that he'd know one person at the school. Although they hadn't seen each other for 4 years, it was better than not knowing anyone at all. He was the head master's son and 3 years younger than him. They pretty much grew up together and were good friends up until Junior High, which was when they started to drift apart. Then his mom's job had an opened a new branch in New York, so they moved there. They only returned to Japan because her job gave her a higher position here.
So now here he was, staring up at the ceiling, with 5 minutes left until he'd have to get ready for school.

His thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock to his door. Before he could answer, it opened slightly and his mom poked her head in. She looked at her son with a warm smile on her face.

"Bet you're excited about the first day huh?" She said as she stepped in and took a seat at his desk.

"Do I look excited?" He replied, his face blank.

She laughed softly as she shook her head. He smiled a little. He shared a much closer relationship with his mom than with his dad. It was like she understood him effortlessly. She also didn't judge his dream for the future, namely to play guitar and sing professionally. His dad, on the other hand, thought that he was wasting his time and that he should study harder to go into law or medical school. Those where the two furthest things from his mind, and his dad and he would constantly butt heads due to their polar opposite views.

"Why couldn't you guys let me finish school in New York? I would have been finished by this year." He asked as he sat up and looked at his mom.

"Deidara, honey...We've gone through this already. We're not about to let our only son live alone. It would be one thing if we had family back in America, but we don't. I've been waiting for this position for years. I'm sorry if it seems selfish, but that's how it is. When you graduate, you can go to college anywhere you please. Just for now, please try to cooperate with your father. I don't want there to be any arguments in this house. Understood?" She gave him a stern look, rather out of character for her, since she was the least strict one of his parents.
He couldn't help but laugh, which caused her to pout. In turn, he only laughed harder.

"I'm being serious." She said in a slightly annoyed tone with a look to match.

"I know, I know, but it's hard to take you seriously when you act like that." He gasped between laughs.
She shook her head as she stood up, smiling a little as she turned away from him. "Get ready for school. I'll have your breakfast ready when you come downstairs."

"Okay," he said as he got up and starting getting his things together. About 20 minutes later he walked into the kitchen. His dad was at the table and his mom at the stove. His dad paused from his reading of the newspaper to look at his son. A proud smile plastered his face as he saw his son in his new uniform - all black with a white shirt, red tie and the Konoha Academy logo over the right breast pocket.

"That's my boy!" He proclaimed proudly. His mother looked over her shoulder and smiled proudly.
"You look very handsome, Deidara."

He smiled at the compliment, but this smile slipped at his dad's next comment. "Now all there's left to do is to deal with that hair of yours. What is it with teenagers these days?" He looked at his wife as if she'd know the answer and then back at his son. "You look like a girl with your hair long like that. Thank goodness you pull it back; otherwise I'd swear I have a daughter!"

Deidara narrowed his eyes and was about to lash out. But then he caught sight of his mom's frown. It was the one time where he knew she was serious and that he shouldn't test her. He'd tried it before when he was much younger, and still deeply regretted it. He sighed as he grabbed a piece of fruit and headed towards the front door.

"You aren't going to eat your breakfast?" He heard his mom call out.

"No," He said as he grabbed the car keys and opened the door. "I'll be going now. See you later." With that, he closed the door.

He walked towards the car and for a split second almost hopped into the wrong side of the car. He was so used to driving in the US, that he forgot in Japan the wheel and practically everything was on the opposite side. His family moved back in January, so he'd had a few months to learn how to drive here. It hadn't taken him long to get accustomed to it. He quickly found a parking spot. Grabbing his school bag, he got out of the car and locked it behind him. Looking up at the school, he felt a familiar dread settling in is stomach. It was a huge school, and looked like a European castle. He could see students walking towards the school laughing and chatting with their friends. Adjusting the school bag over his shoulder, he walked towards the entrance. When he got inside, he saw row after row of little lockers. He remembered when he got a tour of the school, that this was where he was to go to take off his shoes and put on his inside slippers. He rolled his eyes as he walked to his assigned locker. He couldn't understand the concept of all of this, but followed along anyway.

As he walked through the crowed hall way to the headmaster's office, something caught his eye. She was walking in the opposite direction towards him and at first didn't notice him. But as they passed, he felt a small spark... that was the best way to describe it. Emerald green eyes locked with deep blue ones. Her long pink hair flowed behind her. Just as quickly she looked away with an uninterested look on her face. Deidara found himself staring at her as he continued to walk, and before he knew it, bumped into something.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" he heard a voice cry out.

He looked around but couldn't find the voice's source. That is, until he looked down and saw a girl look up at him. A deep blush crossed his face when he noticed it was a girl with dirty blond hair and blue eyes. She was currently in an, ahem, unflattering position on the floor.

"Well don't just gawk at me you pervert! At least help me up!" She demanded as her blue eyes darkened and narrowed. His blush growing a deeper shade of red, he looked away as he reached out his hand and pulled her up. She dusted off her uniform - it was similar to his, but consisted of a red and black plaid skirt and a red bow tie. She straightened out her skirt before looking up at him and gave him an annoyed look. He blinked down at her blankly, and after a moment she sighed deeply. "Well?" She asked with her arms crossed.

"Well what?" He replied as he continued giving her a blank look.

Her eyes narrowed slightly until he realized what she wanted. He was about to apologize when the bell suddenly rang. She stood there looking at him, not budging. Just then he realized that he hadn't had the chance to go to the headmaster's office.

"Oh Crap! I've gotta go!" Without another word, he dashed off.

"Hey!" He could hear her call from behind him.

No time to waste! Better to have a student for an enemy than the headmaster. If he got on that man's bad side, his school and home life would be unbearable for the year. In no time, he made it to the headmaster's office. He knocked on the door and waited until he was asked to come in. When this finally happened, he saw the headmaster sitting at his desk.

A smile came across the headmasters face when he caught sight of him, and he stood up to greet the newcomer.

"Hey there, Deidara," he said as he reached out a hand to shake his. Then he gestured to the chair placed across from his desk, probing Deidara to sit down.

"I'm sorry for coming to you late Mr. Namikaze. There was, uh...an accident, on the way here." He said, looking away slightly as the image of the girl came to mind. He blushed once more.

"Accident?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow. "What kind of accident?"

He looked back at the head master as he shook his head. "Nothing serious. I just, uh, ran into a student and knocked her down. It was an accident, but she was rather bossy about expecting an apology. I didn't have a chance to offer one though since the bell rang and I didn't want to be tardy."

Mr. Namikaze shook his head with a slight smirk. He could only imagine. "I respect that you wanted to see me in time, but perhaps the next time you see this young woman, you should try to set matters straight. You'll only be in this school for one year. You might as well make the best of it."

Deidara nodded his head, making a mental note of the advice.

"How are your parents doing?" He asked as he rested his folded hands on the desk.

"They're fine, I guess." He paused for a moment as he remembered something important he wanted to say. He stood up and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for allowing me to come to this school."

"That's no problem. I've known you since you were a baby. You're like a son to me, so you don't need to be too formal. Speaking of which...where is he?"

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. A second later, the door opened, revealing a boy who looked like a splitting image of the head master. It didn't take Deidara long to figure out who he was.

"Naruto, what took you so long?" He asked as he looked at his son questioningly.

"Well..." He started but his voice trailed off when he noticed the other person in the room. It took him a second to recognize him, but when he did a smile came across his face. He walked up to Deidara and reached out his hand. "Hey, it's been a while, how was your flight?"

Deidara shook his hand as he replied. "It was cramped, long and boring. I'm just glad to be off that plane." He shuddered at the mere thought.

The two took a moment to catch up before Naruto's father interrupted by clearing his throat. Both boys stopped talking and turned to look at the older man. "I'm all up for you two being all buddy-buddy again, but you both have classes to attend." He paused as he turned his attention to Naruto. "I want you to show Deidara around the school and help him get acquainted when both of you have break. I believe you both have the same lunch period, so that would be a perfect time.''

He then turned his attention to Deidara. "Kid, I trust that from this day forward you will behave in an acceptable matter. I know I've known you since you were a baby, but while you are in this school under my care, I expect you to follow the rules like everyone else. Do not expect any special treatment from me. Naruto can vouch for that. Here is your class schedule and a map of the school. I hope you have a good day and please meet me here after your last class to let me know how your day went. You are both dismissed."

Both boys said their goodbyes before turning to leave. There was an awkward pause between the two as they walked towards Deidara's first class. Along the way, Naruto pointed out a few important locations, such as the gym, cafeteria, the library and the music room.
The two stopped in front of his first class. They paused for a while before Deidara spoke up. "So..."

"So..." Naruto said as he looked around, the awkward silence making him slightly uncomfortable. "Hey, you remember where the cafeteria is, right? I'll wait for you there at lunch, okay?" Before Deidara could reply, Naruto hurried off, leaving him to stare at his retreating figure. So much for knowing someone, he thought as he rolled his eyes. Naruto and he might as well be strangers with the way they were acting. Shaking his head, he turned the handle to the classroom door and took in a deep breath before walking in.

The teacher inside stopped talking mid-sentence when Deidara cleared his throat. He had an annoyed look on his face and Deidara could feel all eyes on him. He bowed respectfully to the teacher and apologized for interrupting his class. That seemed to relax the expression on his face if only by a fraction.

"Class, this is Deidara Nicomi. He will be joining us as of today. Deidara, why don't you introduce yourself to the class?" He asked as he turned to look at him.

He could feel his cheeks getting hot. He didn't care much for being in the spotlight. As he glanced around the room he spotted two familiar faces. The pink haired girl and the bossy chick. The first gave him an indifferent look while the other glared at him. He couldn't care much for the blond, since he was transfixed on the pink haired girl.

His blush deepened when he heard the teacher clear his throat and heard some students giggle. He cleared his own throat before he spoke up. "I used to live in Japan four years ago, until my parents and I moved to New York. But, uh, now I'm back." He muttered as he looked down.

"You used to live in New York? What was it like? Did you get to see anyone famous? I've always wanted to act...well...that was one of my dreams growing up. Maybe I could make it on one of those musicals? Or perhaps-" He looked up to see a girl with fire engine red hair and red glasses chatting away. Even her eyes were reddish brown. He gave her a puzzled look.

"Ms. Uzumaki, save the questions until after class." The teacher said, cutting her off. "We've got a lot of work to do and already we're backed up because of this short introduction." He then looked at Deidara and pointed towards an empty seat. "Deidara, you will be sitting behind Sakura." His finger was pointing towards the pink haired girl. He made a mental note of her name. "Be sure to keep up. I won't be giving you any special treatments just because you're a new student. If you have questions you can set up an appointment to meet up with me after school or ask one of your fellow classmates for help."

Deidara nodded his head was he walked towards the second row behind Sakura. As he sat down, he took in her scent. Jasmine and Honeydew.

This was it. He was hooked. Upon closer inspection, he noticed how glossy and soft her hair looked. He was holding himself back from reaching out to touch it. He was so fixated on her that he didn't hear the teacher call out to him. It wasn't until he felt a dark presence next to him that he looked up and saw the teacher glaring down at him.

"Already starting problems, aren't we, Mr. Nicomi?" He asked with pursed lips and narrowed eyes.

Deidara was starting to get annoyed. Seriously, what was this guy's problem anyway? Before he could stop himself he said the first thing that came to his mind. "Already abusing your position as the teacher to pick on the new student, aren't we, Mr. Himoto?" He retorted. Some of the students in the class 'ooh'd' and giggled, only annoying the teacher more. But the man must have an unhealthy amount of self-control, because without another word, he walked away and continued the lesson. It may have looked like Deidara won this battle, but deep down he knew he didn't win the war and suddenly he dreaded what this year would bring for him.

For the rest of the class, he focused the best he could. He was quiet. He took notes. Once in a while he got lost staring at the back of Sakura's head, but his teacher's glare quickly snapped him back to reality. Once class was over, surprisingly almost all the girls made a beeline for him and asked questions back to back. Sakura wasn't one of these girls and neither was the blond. Sakura quietly gathered her books and left the classroom without giving him the slightest glance. Once the girls in the class walked away, a few guys approached him. He noticed that the blond girl was still there, glaring at him. Remembering Mr. Namikaze's suggestion, he excused himself from chatting with the guys and walked over towards her. Her only response was to look up at him with narrowed eyes.

Trying to break the ice, he reached out his hand to shake hers. When she refused, he allowed his hand to drop by his side. Taking a sharp deep breath and trying hard not to say something stupid, he finally spoke. "I'm sorry for bumping into you this morning. I hope you aren't hurt." He offered sincerely.

She stood for a moment, looking him up and down without saying a word. "It's about time." She said as she rolled her eyes.

This caused Deidara's patience to crack. "The hell, woman! It's true that I'm wrong for bumping into you and not saying sorry right away. I had an important meeting to attend and was running late. But come on, now I'm apologizing, and you take it for granted!''

"Woman?!" She exclaimed. "If you're going to try to apologize to someone, insulting them afterward doesn't exactly help." She breathed out an agitated sigh. "You really have no class."

His jaw dropped and he was about to say something else when someone called out to her.

"Temari, what are you doing? We're going to be late for our next class!" A girl called out from behind him.

He looked back at her with slight disgust. "So your name is Temari, huh? Wel,l it's been quite a pleasure meeting you." He said sarcastically before turning around and walking out of the classroom. He shook his head. Day one and already he's got a crush, an enemy, a friend (who's more like a stranger, but still), and became his homeroom teacher's number one target. Really, could his life get any worse?
And as you might guess, damn right it could.