Summary: Sakura was just doing what any self-respecting jilted woman does. Get thoroughly smashed and end up in bed with her ex's worst enemy. DeiSaku

Disclaimer: Anything you can recognize here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Pairing: Deidara and Sakura

In the Shade of Pink Elephants

Chapter One: Twist the Knife

The tinkle of the delicate flutes echoed endlessly through the hall. Soft murmurs were punctuated with the sound of laughter here and there. Sakura moved among the guests with feline grace, turning the corners of her mouth up and nodding as she brushed past the crowd to go hide in a corner, where nobody would tell her, "Oh! They look beautiful and so happy!" and nobody would be abysmally stupid enough to ask her, "Ne Sakura, are you alright?"

She reached the edge of the room and placed her hand on the papered wall. Resting her forehead against the wall, she took a deep breath, steadied herself and turned around – her sparkling smile once again plastered on her face – beautiful, confident, unflappable Sakura. She didn't even notice the pain in her cheeks anymore. Her face had been frozen in the same expression since morning. Since she was part of the legendary Team 7, she was supposed to be at the church before the rest of the gang since "a woman's touch" usually made or marred any event. And she had come, true to duty.

She had overseen the decoration, had a word with the preacher, rattled up the catering staff, and was seen running around fixing things a mere hour before the ceremony when Ino had bustled in, grabbed her arm and waltzed out, declaring she'd be dead before she allowed Sakura to show herself in public looking like a fright. She allowed Ino to doll her up as she wished – she wasn't bothered anyway. Ino had just pursed her lips, muttered something about pushing needles into "that bastard's" head. But she made no mention of the S word all the time they were together, for which Sakura was grateful. Ino was volatile most of the time, but when somebody pissed her off; she skipped rage and went straight to fury. And all things considered – Ino was pissed.

"Forehead."

Sakura turned to find Ino standing in front of her now. She stood tall and elegant in a shimmering white off-shoulder gown with two glasses of champagne in her hands. She lifted one of them in the air, indicating it was for her.

"Ino…thanks." Sakura took the glass and stood quietly as Ino turned to watch the newly weds.

"How soon can we leave this circus?"

Sakura glanced around anxiously, "Ino! Somebody could have heard you."

"I doubt it. They breed selective hearing into their young, don't you know?"

"Gods, pipe down, Ino."

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care Sakura?"

"I don't want to create a scene."

Ino glared at her with something akin to frustration then emptied the contents of the flute in a single breath. "Fine. I promised I'd behave – for your sake. And I will. But if I have to endure the sight of that scoundrel for more than ten minutes, I refuse to be held accountable for my actions." Her eyes flashed challengingly. Sakura turned away.

It was so easy for Ino to show her anger, to be disdainful, rude even, and nobody would bat an eyelid. Nobody would read something else into it. Nobody would point fingers and say 'case of sour grapes'. She wished she could throw caution to the winds and just let it all out. Shout, scream, break things, catch hold of Sasuke by the collar and slug him. But that would mean accepting defeat. That would mean accepting that he had the power to reduce her to a spectacle. And she didn't want to give him that satisfaction. So she was going to stay here, till the end of the ceremony, till the final crumbs of wedding cake were swept away, till the last glass of champagne was consumed, and she would do so gracefully, elegantly, like she was having the time of her life, like she was the happiest person alive.

She turned to the newly weds and caught him staring at her. His onyx eyes seemed watchful as though he was calculating and trying to figure out just what was going on in that head of hers. Because Sakura wasn't one to take things lying down. Because when somebody hurt her, she didn't get mad, she made plans. And once those plans were put into action, she got even. Always. Without fail.

Sakura smiled prettily and held up her glass, as though she was raising a toast to him. Sasuke looked away, suddenly disturbed by the strange light playing in her eyes.

He moved closer to his bride, protectively drawing an arm around her waist. Sakura smirked. Today had been perfect. She hadn't once felt miserable, truly miserable about the fact that the boy of her dreams was getting married to someone, getting married to someone else…..getting married to someone else after being lovers for close to a year. She had shut her emotional core down so it wouldn't bog her down with niceties. She didn't care. She wanted to hurt Sasuke. Really hurt him. She wanted to claw those pretty Sharingans out of his sockets and crush them – gods she felt angry. But she would do none of those things. Revenge was a dish best served cold, and she had thought long and hard about this.

Sasuke didn't care what the village thought of him or what the whole world thought of him. The only opinion that mattered to him had been Itachi's , and now that Itachi was gone, his own. His brand of megalomania was truly hard to come by in this day and age.

Sasuke had to feel ridiculous. Even if nobody else ever knew, if something happened that made him feel silly or stupid, it would drive him crazy. And that's exactly what Sakura had planned. Of all the things she'd learnt from her team mates over the years, the knowledge - that the little things always get you - remained supreme. Little things, like eating the last pack of ramen minutes before Naruto burst into the room, volunteering to get Sasuke's laundry and forgetting the Uchiha clan special bag behind at the Laundromat, borrowing Kakashi's Icha Icha books and 'accidentally' letting Akamaru chew on them. Oh yes, little things.

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiled, really smiled for the first time in the longest day of her life. She turned and pulled him into a bear hug. "Naruto!"

"Ehhhh Sakura-chan, let me up for air!" He playfully tugged at her arms even as Hinata stood beside him and smiled at her fiancée's antics. "Well, if I had known I would get such an awesome reception, I would have come sooner."

Sakura pulled a face and punched him lightly in the arm, ignoring him as he clutched his arm and howled dramatically. She smiled at Hinata who wordlessly hugged her then stepped back to Naruto's side. Sakura felt her smile grow wider; although this time it was genuine. Naruto had finally scrounged together the courage to confess his love for Hinata and ask her to marry him. They were like two halves of a whole. They had recently begun finishing each others' sentences, much to the amusement of their friends.

Hinata glanced at the reception dais and nudged Naruto. "Naruto-kun, we should go congratulate Sasuke and Hanabi-chan." Naruto nodded once and winking at Sakura, he let himself be taken to the dais where he smiled politely and shook hands cordially with both the groom and the bride, the epitome of detached sophistication.

"Wow. Naruto is really pissed, isn't he?" Ino was back. Sakura swirled the pale gold liquid in her glass thoughtfully.

"I think the only reason he is even here is because Hinata didn't want to skip Hanabi's wedding." She replied softly. Ino stuck her tongue in her cheek and processed this piece of information slowly in her head. Of course, as clan head, it was Hinata's prerogative to make her displeasure or support clear. However, while most of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai knew about Sakura's involvement with Sasuke, Hinata could not oppose the match without making Sakura look like some sort of victim to the rest of the village. And Sakura would gladly become a Jashinist before she let anyone label her a damsel in distress who had to be saved. So even though Hinata was not pleased about Sasuke ditching Sakura and ensnaring Hanabi's attention in such a short time, she could do nothing more than make it obvious that he had a long way to go before he gained any position or say in the clan. The Hyuugas were helping him and she'd never let him forget it.

Ino sighed. "Forehead, how long are you planning to stick around?"

Sakura glanced at her watch. "Time to wrap up the party I guess." Dinner was over, dancing was dealt with, some of the guests had already left and everyone else was waiting for the right cue to make an exit as well. She glanced towards the dais and caught Sasuke's eye. Handing her glass to Ino, she quickly made her way to the dais, her silvery blue dress hugging all her curves and flowing out behind her like water. She briskly mounted the steps and whispered into Sasuke's ear.

"Now is a good time for Hanabi to throw the bouquet."

Sasuke glanced at her. Her eyes seemed to reflect the sparkle of the diamonds in her ears. She wore no other jewellery. Her arms were bare and the dress….the dress seemed to have been stitched on her. There was just the faintest trace of a blush on her cheeks and her lips were glazed with gloss. He sucked his breath in, wondering for the hundredth time tonight, when had Sakura become so much more beautiful. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her all night and it frustrated him to see her so calm, so friendly, so concerned that everything be perfect. He had honestly expected her to be bitter about the whole thing but here she was – like it hardly bothered her, like she didn't give a damn, as though she had already moved on with her life…had she? Had she moved on….found someone? Could it be that the calmness, the happiness he saw on her face was because of some other guy? For a crazy minute, he felt a jealous twinge in his heart. Try as he might, he couldn't shake off a feeling of discomfort as he thought about Sakura with another man.

"Sasuke?" Realizing that Hanabi and Sakura were both staring at him, he quickly nodded and took Hanabi's hand. Sakura led them both to the foot of the curving staircase. Hanabi would throw her bouquet here and then they would both leave for the Hyuuga compound. The Uchiha family compound was in no state to live in and Hinata refused to let Hanabi move into what was technically still the village ruin. It had little to do with the fact that she wanted both Sasuke and Hanabi where she could keep an eye on them. Really.

Amidst cheering, lots of giggling (mainly from Hanabi's friends), and catcalls, Hanabi turned her back to the crowd and gracefully threw the bouquet back. The onlookers watched with bated breath as the bouquet sailed through the air. It fell close to Ino, who looked like she couldn't care less. The unfortunate bundle of white roses would have crashed to the floor had Naruto not stepped in gallantly and plucked it from the air. He smiled and handed it to Hinata.

The newly weds slowly made their way to the doors, nodding and thanking everyone who stopped them to congratulate one last time. Sakura watched them leave in relief. That was it. It was over.

The bar was noisy and like a breath of fresh air after the ceremony. Sakura looked around the table happily. All of her friends had managed to squeeze into one booth, but this meant that Kiba's elbow found its way into Shino's mouth again and again, Ino had the mammoth task of feeding Chouji chips since he couldn't take his arms out from under the table. Shikamaru's thighs had long since fallen asleep but he insisted it wasn't because of Ino's weight. Lee was the overjoyed man squished between Tenten and Sakura and he made his happiness clear each time he raised a toast to the eternal springtime of their youth. Naruto and Hinata were at the Hyuuga family home, welcoming Sasuke as a member of the family.

Sakura smiled as all of them made an effort to be extra boisterous, extra loud…just for her benefit. She could tell in the way they looked at her. Even Kiba who normally had the emotional sensitivity of an ox had thrown her a bunch of sympathetic glances during the course of the evening. She stared into her drink. It was getting harder to seem like everything was sparkling in her life now that Sasuke wasn't around to watch. Maybe, she should stop pretending to be the cool, poised young babe she'd been acting like all this week. There was nobody to show off to now. Sasuke was gone. Maybe it was time to do what she had felt like doing since the minute Sasuke told her that he was dumping her to marry Hanabi, so that his future children would have the benefit of the Byakugan and a powerful clan behind them…and besides, he really couldn't have any Uchihas running around the village sporting pink hair.

Sakura pushed her hands into the table and stood. Chatter around the table stilled instantly as they all stared at her, waiting. It took all her self-control at that moment to keep from bursting into tears. She grinned even as she could see that they knew it was fake.

"Well, I promised myself that I'd drink myself silly tonight. Who else is in?" She didn't wait to see their reactions. She dropped into a barstool and rapped her knuckles on the bar.

The bartender leaned forward. "What can I get for you?" He smiled flirtatiously, and Sakura smiled right back. This was exactly what she needed. Lots of booze and a revenge fuck. And Sasuke could go screw himself.

"Surprise me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. But whatever you give me…make it strong."

Nine tequilas later, Sakura was singing at the karaoke machine. Her cheeks were flushed, her steps unsteady but there was a smile on her face.

Two drinks more and Ino and Shikamaru had to rush to the stage to stop her from falling. They insisted on taking her home.

She didn't know how she'd managed but she'd done it. She had left her friends, hoodwinked them into thinking she was going straight home and slipped into the bar next door. She sat quietly, with her head on the bar, still, not moving a muscle, just concentrating on the sounds behind her. Vending machine, chair scraping, pint of beer, pool table, jukebox, glasses, waitress, couple making out…..sitting alone….despair. She breathed into the polished wood of the bar, and rolled her head so she could look at the bartender.

"Can I have some scotch?"

The bartender looked sceptical, but he wasn't about to get into an argument with her. He mumbled something and placed a cool tumbler with a neat peg of JD in front her. Sakura closed her fingers around it and roused herself enough to lift her head off the bar. She took a sip, raised an eyebrow appreciatively and drained the tumbler dry. Placing it back on the bar, she called for a refill. She looked around the bar and sighed at the lack of pretty men.

From the corner of her eye, she was vaguely aware of someone settling down in the stool next to her. Blonde, black coat, long fingers, beautiful hands. Sakura turned casually. His hair was done up in a half ponytail, with the rest of his hair falling over his shoulders like silk. He sat tilted away from her so she could just make out the profile of his face but it was enough to see that he had high cheekbones and a straight nose with firm, pink lips. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there, staring at him when suddenly,

"Didn't your mother teach you not to stare, yeah?" A lazy drawl cut through the alcoholic haze and hit her between the eyebrows. She blinked and looked at him again. Blonde hair, smouldering blue eyes, black coat….that even without the red cloud design still screamed 'here's trouble baby'.

She felt her spine pull straight and her hands reach for a kunai strapped to her thigh before she knew what she was doing. And just as quickly a hand, a beautiful hand with long fingers closed around her wrist firmly. "Quit it. You're here for a drink. So am I. Don't get melodramatic, yeah."

She froze. Of course. Deidara had been pardoned by Konoha in exchange for fighting on their side during the war. He'd been brought in bruised and battered, worn out and almost dead after turning on his former comrades. He had wanted to live, he'd told Tsunade. And so he was willing to work with Konoha if they gave him that chance – a chance at life again.

Sakura bit her lip sheepishly. "Sorry. Force of habit."

He smirked. "No problem, yeah." He watched her carefully as he raised his own drink to his lips, drained it and set it down again. "What, did your date abandon you or something?"

Sakura frowned as he dragged his eyes from her head to her feet. "No."

"Then, you just like going to bars looking like a duchess, huh?"

Sakura scoffed. "No."

He raised an eyebrow in question. Sakura sighed. "I just came back from a wedding."

"Did you now? Friend of yours?"

Sakura snorted. Deidara smirked. "Right. So you're celebrating your freedom, yeah?"

Sakura laughed. That was a funny way of putting it. She looked at Deidara once again. Maybe it was the alcohol but she couldn't help but notice how the normally smoky blue of his eyes would suddenly flare up with fire when he laughed, how his teeth dug into his bottom teeth as he thought, how that bulky coat hid the promise of a beautiful, sculpted body and how Sasuke would keel in shock and disgust if she just happened to be seen around town with this S-class former missing-nin as an arm accessory. She licked her lips. Get thoroughly smashed. Check. Find a guy and get laid. Sorta check.

She could do this. One night of meaningless sex wouldn't kill her but it would show Sasuke what an idiot he was for thinking that she'd be sitting at home wallowing in self-pity and a tub of ice cream instead of painting the town red. Yeah, she'd show him just how easy it was to forget him. And she'd do it with Deidara. Everything was fair in love and war. And this was war.

She never would have thought having drinks with a former S-class missing nin could be so much fun. She hadn't laughed this much and felt this light in weeks. Deidara was witty, snarky and completely unapologetic about anything he did. Sitting beside him made it so easy to forget the mess that was her life. She smiled winningly and turned towards him, carefully touching his knee with her own. She leaned forward, "You know, this is the most fun I've had in days. I never would have thought you'd be so easy to get along with. Somehow, I always thought you'd be the worst sort of flaky, belligerent bastard."

He looked at her, "You're pretty drunk, aren't you?"

Sakura glared at him in mock-anger. "I am not! I can still walk in a straight line."

"Mmhmm. Let's see you do it."

"Why you! What do you think I am, some sort of show pony? Forget it!"

Deidara burst out laughing. "You're full of shit, you know that?"

"I am not!"

"You're drunk, so drunk you can't even stand."

Sakura growled and slamming the tumbler down she stood and promptly swayed. She managed to steady herself and stood straight. Jutting her lower lip out in a pout, she twirled on her heel and would have collapsed in a muddled heap on the floor but for a pair of arms that caught her before she hit the floor. The arms hoisted her up and deposited her back in the stool.

"You should stop now, yeah." He said softly. "You made your point."

She slumped forward and would have kissed the floor had he not stepped up and stopped her fall with his hands. She felt her head slam into his chest and she groaned in pain.

Deidara rolled his eyes. He looked at the barkeep. "Whatever she owes; just put it on my tab, yeah."

The bartender nodded pleasantly. It was only a few hours till morning. He wasn't about to argue with that logic. He watched the blonde man steady the pink-haired girl and lead her outside. He shook his head as she still made attempts to come back and pick up where she left off.

Deidara managed to get her out and up the stairs to the main street where a group of other shinobi were finishing up their own little party. He ignored them and focussed on getting Sakura to sit or lean against something while he figured out what to do.

But Sakura was having none of it. The fresh air seemed to give new life to whatever mischief she'd been cooking up in her head and she leaned into him, pushing her body against his, her fingers cupped his face and she whispered, "You're beautiful Deidara. Did you know that?"

"I do now." He replied shortly, pulling her hands away from his body. He would have been flattered had she not been dead drunk, if she really knew what she was saying then he would have responded like any other redblooded male but….she wasn't. It was the alcohol and nothing else. Right now, she'd even find Kisame beautiful too.

Her hands wormed back towards him. She skimmed them around his waist and he groaned as she snuck them under his shirt, fingers splaying over the bare skin of his back even as her lips grazed the underside of his chin. Her tongue poked out and softly, slooowly licked along the line of his jaw. He stopped. "Sakura, quit it."

"Mmmm don't want to." She replied playfully, nipping his ear with her teeth, her hands fisted into the material of his coat.

"That's too bad." He tugged at her arms, trying to pull them away when she slammed him into a wall. The group standing outside the bar suddenly took notice. Deidara swore colourfully. "Fuck, Sakura! The fuck is wrong with you?" He was mad. Dammit, nobody pushed him around like that, even if it was a really hot, strong, pink-haired hellion who was as drunk as a fish. He gaped at her. Her bangs fell around her face, her eyes blazed, and she held him against the wall with her bare hands. Damn…she was fine.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a girl and a man approach slowly. But, he couldn't take his eyes off the explosive woman standing in front of him. Did Deidara ever mention how much he liked domineering women? No? He loved them. He watched mesmerised as jade sparks danced in her eyes even as she held him trapped against the wall. She leaned closer and pressed her lips to his throat. He groaned. Let caution and prudence be damned. He'd worry about the implications of this later, but right now, right now, she was kissing his neck like her life depended on it, like it was the end of the world. His hands slid up her sides, grasping her tightly, pulling her close. He bent his head and captured her mouth. She tasted like spice and fire. Her tongue danced around his, stroking, sucking, fighting for the upper hand. His hands were everywhere, her breasts, her waist, her rear, her neck. They broke away for air and almost lunged at each other instantly.

"Sakura…..SAKURA?" She froze. He froze. Who was that? Why did that voice sound so familiar? Sakura turned slowly; slowing pushing Deidara's hands off her ass, bending her head as he quietly adjusted the strap of her dress and pulled up the zipper at her back.

Ino was staring at her with an expression that screamed she'd gotten everything she ever wanted in life plus a room just for her lingerie and Shikamaru looked like the bill for the above mentioned had finally reached him.

"Sakura…" Ino managed to choke, looking frantically from her to Deidara even as Shikamaru rubbed his neck and mumbled, "How troublesome…"

"You need anything Ino?" Sakura replied icily. She glared. For fuck's sake go away Ino. Can't you see I'm busy? Operation Screw-With-Sasuke's-Mind is finally on board, so can you please just go?

Ino clamped her mouth shut, grabbed Shikamaru's arm and rapidly began walking back the way they came. "Sure, uh…have fun! We need to go home anyway."

Sakura turned to Deidara. He was staring at the ground. She ignored her friends who stood gaping at her from across the street. Tomorrow, she'd be headline news for all the gossips of the village. She had to make it count. She cupped Deidara's face in her hands.

"I think I'll just take you home."

"Sakura," he shifted his feet. The interruption had given him time to think. There was no doubt in his mind that if he went with her, he'd probably end up trailing after her like a lost puppy everyday after. He'd probably start stalking her for good measure too. And he didn't think that'd sit well with his probation review team. Oh hell.

"Hmm?"

"You sure? This isn't just some drunken thing?"

"Why sir! A lady is never drunk."

He laughed. "I wouldn't know. I'm not much of a gentleman."

She didn't know where she got the nerve to act so…unlike her usual self…so completely careless and reckless. "That's alright." She breathed into his neck; her body almost flush against his. She lifted her fingers to his hair and tangled them in the fine gold strands. "I don't want a gentleman tonight anyway."

Author's Note

Okay, I finally worked up the courage to post this. This is my first Naruto fanfic ever, so be kind. Constructive criticism is welcome. Oh and any OOC-ness might just be due to the fact I'm slightly out of touch with Naruto but I love this pairing and so just wanted to write something on them.

Please comment.