**Note: This chapter has been edited and there may be revisions from the original posting.

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Chapter 2: I Declare Myself Intrigued

It was like in the movies. They stood there, staring at each other with similar expressions of shock, curiosity, and disbelief on their faces as the wind fanned their hair out around them and leaves fluttered by in the background. All that really seemed to be missing was the dramatic theme music. As the shock began to wear off and the spell from the intensity of it all began to dispel, both found their caution flags waving. Was this a trick? What was the meaning of this?

"You—!" Both were stunned by the other attempting to speak at the same moment they were.

Ino could feel her heart start to race at the sight of the odd stranger's eyes watching her... calculating. Her breath hitched. Was he going to attack?! She didn't give it a second thought before rushing forward and aiming a kick at the stranger's feet in hopes of knocking them out from under him. She was surprised when he easily blocked her attack.

Deidara held back a wince as his shin effectively blocked the look-a-like girl's attack. She was stronger than he presumed. He followed up her attack with a swipe of his own at her head. She effectively blocked it, catching his fist in hers.

There was a jolt.

He released her the second she made to pull away from him. Once again they stared. The other was so real to the touch! Was this really a trick?

"What are you—"

Silence. Reflection. Awareness. The tension broke. It wasn't a trick... it was... nature at its best? Relaxing a bit brought the outside world into focus... people were watching them! Of course they would be! They had just publicly attacked each other! Without even really thinking...

"Do you want to go somewhere—"

Both cut off. It was almost comical. Were they like... separated at birth? Nodding to each other at their unfinished question, they set off away from the watching eyes.

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They sat across from each other, drinking in the other's profile while they waited for their orders to arrive. They had found a small café not far from the fountain. One look at each other and they had agreed to go in.

"Here you are! Sorry for the wait." Their cheerful waitress said dutifully as she gave them their orders. "Is that all?"

Both nodded, continuing to look the other over like they've never seen anything like them as she took her leave, shaking her head in a 'young kids in love these days' kind of way.

"You—" There was a pause.

"Your hair is almost like mine!" Deidara blurted, wincing inwardly at this childish statement.

"There are obvious differences, of course." Ino agreed, keeping her eye trained on the other.

"Un." Deidara agreed to that.

"You look good!" Ino complimented happily.

"You look good, too." Deidara honestly returned. It was... odd.

"Our eyes are almost the same, too!" She continued.

"This is weird..." Deidara commented, though not really bothered... just...

"My name is Ino!" She said happily, wondering if this interesting guy would share his name as well.

"I'm Deidara, un." He replied, nodding to her before turning his attention to his order. A cup of tea sat before him with some dango. Eh... maybe he should have thought more about what he was to be eating.

"That's a cute name!" Ino smiled then, as if she had just realized what she said, she blushed brightly and busied herself with eating a dango ball. "So where are you from?"

He found himself watching the girl across from him with more interest than usual. She was just a girl... yet... when she had said his name was cute... he wasn't as bothered as he might have been with someone else. "A village to the north of here. I'm a shinobi there."

"Ah! Really? Me too! Well, I actually come from a village... more to the east. I'm here on a small mission with two of my friends... alliances and all." Ino supplied, reveling in the fact that it was getting weirder. They had similar looks and similar occupations... what else? "Why are you here?"

"It's like a vacation, un." He answered before taking a bite of his dango. Not bad.

"That sounds nice." Ino beamed at him as she once again ran her eyes over his form. He was cute. Gorgeous! Of course, if he looked like her how could he not be? His hair looked so pretty against his eyes... eye. She loved how his bangs covered the left side of his face, adding a sort of mystery to him. Ah! Why couldn't there be boys like him in Konoha?!

"If you're here with friends... why are you alone?" Deidara asked, smirking a little to himself. He had noticed Ino checking him out and found he was rather pleased. She didn't give him goo-goo eyes or stare at him with fan lust. She studied him with fascination, like he was something worthy to behold. Interesting girl.

"Oh... we had some free time so we went off on our own. We each have quite different interests. Right now Chouji is probably tasting every snack he can get his hands on while Shikamaru is more than likely playing shogi by himself or watching the clouds." Ino sighed and shook her head like she thought the two had distasteful interests. "I went to look at the local flowers."

Deidara couldn't help but smile. He could sympathize in a way. There were people in Akatsuki who did things he didn't quite agree with... "You like flowers?"

"Flowers are beautiful and can signify many things. They are like people in the sense that there are many different kinds in many different colors in many different places. They grow in certain conditions and can make us feel different things. They may not last long but they come back." Ino replied dreamily. If Deidara was a flower... would he be a fall flower like the Cosmos? Would he bloom beautifully like her special cherry blossom?

He was intrigued. The way she spoke about flowers... the depth of her feelings for them made him think about his love for art. She seemed able to see the beauty in things others might not. Real interesting girl. "Is that so?"

At the look Ino gave him he had to hold back a laugh. She met his eyes with fiery ones of her own. 'You dare mock me?' they seemed to be saying. Heh... so this was the kind of girl that was pleasing to the eye even when angry?

"Well, what do you enjoy then, Deidara-san?" She quipped, tracing her bottom lip with a clean dango stick.

She looked as though she would stab him in the eye with the thing if he gave a stupid answer. Being a kunoichi... that was highly possible, he mused. He liked this kid. "Art."

"Art?" She arched a pale eyebrow as she watched him, lowering the dango stick.

"Un." Deidara nodded as he set his elbows on the table, folding his hands under his chin, watching her. He didn't know why... but he liked the way her slender shoulders arched forward slightly as she curved her body inward a bit, eyebrow furrowing as she studied him. He waited.

"What kind of art?" She questioned, relaxing her body. He was an artist? He wasn't the creepy kind that liked to paint young girls nude or something, was he? He was way too cute to be a pervert!

Deidara felt himself beam uncharacteristically on the inside. She had asked! She had an interest in him! He was pleased. "I like to mold clay, un. Usually animals and the like."

He left it there. He didn't want to tell her too much.

"Really?" Ino smiled. He really did look happy when talking about it.

"Yeah. There's nothing like making something with your own hands, un." He returned her smile.

Ino nodded her understanding. She could relate in a sense. She didn't mold clay, but growing flowers was hard work and it required effort and particular knowledge. The end result was a thing filled with hard work-paid off beauty. She was sure sculpting clay was the same.

"And seeing it become something wonderful, huh?" Ino smiled more as she thought of the flowers she had learned to grow and care for.

Smile fading slightly at her words, Deidara stared at the girl before him with surprise. She really... understood!

"Here you go, kids." The waitress said as she placed the bill before them, startling both with her sudden arrival.

"Thank you!" Ino quickly responded, smiling at her before the woman turned to tend to other customers.

Ino reached for the bill the same time Deidara did, their hands meeting on the paper. Ino blushed, not moving her hand.

"It's okay, I got it." Deidara smiled a bit before wondering at his own sudden generosity.

Nodding, Ino looked at her hand. Wrapping slender fingers around his gloved wrist, she lifted his arm. Deidara watched her with curiosity. Something in the back of his mind told him it should bother him that she was touching him... but it didn't.

"You really are real." Ino laughed, sliding her hand toward his.

Deidara jerked his arm away at the threat of her touching his hand. She couldn't... Seeing her confused expression he felt a little bad. He didn't know if he should try to explain it... or make something up... or....

"Ino... what are you doing for dinner?" Once again his expression mirrored hers. He could feel it. Embarrassed surprise.

"W-What?" Ino's mind squealed. Was he... asking her to dinner?!

"What I mean is... I'd like talk to you more. Would you like to have dinner with me?" He was now surprised at how smooth that had sounded-- like it was his intention to start with, not something he just made to cover himself.

"I..." Ino hesitated thinking about Shikamaru and Chouji. Would they be mad? "Okay!"

They didn't need her. She'd talk to them and make them see they didn't if either one tried to argue. She really wanted to talk to Deidara more.

"Good." He gave her a small smile. "I have something to do before then... so why don't we meet here at seven o'clock and we can find somewhere to go together?"

"Sure!" Ino smiled back as she watched Deidara pay for their snacks.

They left the café together, parting ways at the fountain.

-Chapter 2 End-

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A/N: So I've received some comments and reviews that people liked how I wrote the couple's attraction working on their likenesses. Thank you. I'm happy that people like that about them to and that I was able to portray that so people got it. :D I also liked writing Deidara a little OOC. Buwahaha.