I do not own Naruto, nor will I ever own the wonderful anime. But please do enjoy my story.

-- Author's Notes --

This is the second chapter… please do easy on me. I know it isn't all that great of a story, but I don't want to get into the habit of deleting so many things. So here I go… And, don't mind the, "In Which" in my chapter titles... I know it's from SpiderWick... and I like it. I'm using it only because I like to feel intelligent. :)

--Chapter 2: In which Kaori thinks of irrelevant details--

An obscure, white clock ticked away on the wall. Normally, a person as ignorant as me wouldn't pay attention to such inconspicuous details, but today, I'm so bored that I'd do anything just to keep myself occupied. It's strange that I'd do this much just to keep myself entertained, but it's not like anyone's going to care or notice. And even if anyone did care, it's not like I'm going to stop staring at the little white clock.

Why should I let anyone tell me what to do? I'm not that type of girl. However, I am the type of girl that will get bored very easily, and will strive to keep herself as entertained as possible. And to keep myself entertained, I'm staring at the little white clock that was on the wall behind Deidara; the wall that I was facing. It ticked slowly, as though taunting me with its slowness.

Tick… Tick… it continued to tick on and on. The clock ticked, keeping in perfect time. I was intrigued by the soft ticking that tickled my ears, but after time it seemed to get louder and louder, and suddenly I felt my head throb painfully as the white wall clock ticked and ticked, the simple sound suddenly transforming to loud crashing of thunder. Slowly I felt myself getting nauseous, and it was suddenly painful to blink.

The clock simply continued to tick away, ignoring my suffering. My head was throbbing, the world around me was spinning. My sanity was slowly slipping through the gaps in between my fingers and I leaned forward, rubbing my temples as I tried to push the stupid migraine away. It only became even more of a nuisance as suddenly I could no longer keep my eyes opened.

I closed my eyes tight, the pain in my head impossible to ignore as I fumbled through the holster on my leg clumsily, searching for the compartment in which held my medication which would surely help me escape from this awful predicament. Finally, I had managed to pull out a small, plastic cylinder shaped container which held my pills within it's transparent, slightly tinted walls.

It was filled with blue and red striped pills that rattled against the insides of the container as I made a struggling effort to open the container, my head still continuing to throb painfully as I did so. Finally, I managed to open the lid and shake out two pills. I greedily popped them into my mouth and swallowed them both down forcefully, my throat in pain but I didn't care.

I heaved a heavy sigh as I relaxed, the medicine already taking its effect, for the throbbing migraine that I had just a minute ago was slowly subsiding. I leaned back in my seat. This wasn't turning out to be a very good start at all. I decided that I was once again bored, and decided to continue in the activity that I had been doing before my migraine had interfered, which just happened to be staring at the clock and memorizing all of it's most intricate features.

So, I gazed at the clock as though it was the first time I had seen one in my life. In other words, I looked slightly retarded, but it wasn't like anyone was watching me in my current stupor.

Suddenly I decided that it was not as interesting enough to keep me entertained and moved onto a new article to study and memorize by heart. I leaned back in my chair, looking up at the ceiling. I stared at the bright lights that hung from the ceiling above, the fluorescent light that illuminated from the them nearly blinding, though I managed to count about four hanging.

Suddenly, I sat upright, looking down at the tiles that covered the floor. The tiles were so close together, that at first glance anyone would think that it were just a plain white floor, all the while never knowing that it was actually tile. However, being as bored as I was I didn't miss a single detail of anything that I saw. I even managed to catch a little crack on the tile that my left foot rested upon. I finally looked up at Deidara, deciding this was my chance to examine him thoroughly.

I stared at him with great intensity and concentration, making sure to catch everything. His chest would rise up and down slowly as he took deep breaths. On his cloak – from what I can see – there are about six clouds in which I can see. They were a dark, crimson red and outlined with white, and then the rest of the cloak was black as the night sky. The neckband was high, although it was unbuttoned so that his face was visible.

His hair was blond and long, with a single half ponytail sticking from the top of his head, or, was just really high. His skin was light, and his toe nail polish was a dark purple, which I found as a strange choice of colour. And, finally, my eyes traveled toward his forehead, and I saw his forehead protector. Sure enough, it was the exact same one I had, only there was a finely cut line going through the middle of the Iwa symbol. I flinched slightly as I imagined how it got there.

I allowed my eyes to trail downward, toward his face. I studied Deidara's facial features carefully, memorizing every detail and storing the image into the back of my head like a camera. I stared, my gaze hawk-like. It was as though I was trying to send him a subliminal message for him to wake up. Although I wasn't really the kind of person that believed in such rubbish, I couldn't help but give it a try. I experimented for a few minutes.

Would Deidara wake up if I continued to stare at him with unflinching intensity? Or would he not get my subliminal message to wake from his slumber? It was almost as though I was challenging myself. And I knew that was exactly what I was doing - I was challenging myself.

Suddenly, the corners of Deidara's mouth twitched slightly, and his eyebrows knitted together. He began to shift slightly, and he turned his head to the right. He was slowly waking up. Perhaps he had received my subliminal message! I beamed for a few minutes, happy that I had someone to talk to and because I had won my challenge against myself. Deidara slowly sat upright, leaning forward. His hands will still tied behind his back, not allowing him to stretch.

He mumbled a curse, trying to get his hands loose. It was as though he didn't remember what had happened, and didn't know that I had caught him, even though we had talked before. He had implied that I was an idiot when I last spoke to him, which was about half an hour ago. I narrowed my eyes at Deidara as he smirked.

"Oh right, yeah... you captured me." he said. That's nice of him to state the obvious.

"Oh no," I began, my words dripping with sarcasm, "You were sleepwalking through Iwa and then you managed to get yourself in a small white room with a weak little Chunin and managed to chain your own hands behind your back while sitting on a small wooden chair."

"Sarcasm? I can tell, yeah. It isn't nice to be so mean to people..." Deidara said, grinning from his spot on the chair. I was suddenly curious about what his eyes might have looked like at that moment, but I pushed the feeling aside and regained my composure.

"If I remember correctly, when I came in here and politely asked if you were Deidara, you gave me a rude reply." I spoke coldly. Deidara simply scoffed.

"You said you were a Chunin? They're underestimating me, yeah..." he said, a smirk spreading across his face, "this will surely make saving my own ass a lot easier, yeah."

I glared, "Perhaps so. But how do you plan to get the handcuffs out? And how do you plan to get out of this room without a key? I locked the door."

"You could always get me out of these handcuffs for me. I mean really, I'm not all that bad, yeah..." he said, his grin widening. I didn't even flinch.

I snorted, "Not all that bad? It's because you're pure evil. You're in the Bingo Book, you're part of the Akatsuki, and you blew up half the village."

Deidara just leaned back in his wooden chair, relaxed despite his position, "They refused to respect my art, yeah."

I nearly blanched, "You're talking about your bombs?"

In all my nineteen years of being alive, never have I met someone that was so strange and indifferent. Deidara seriously thought that his bombs were considered art? Had the circumstances been any different, I would've said something nasty. Something that would surely bring someone to tears.

But of course, I wanted to get on Deidara's good side so that when he escaped, which he surely will since I know I won't be able to stop him if he tries, he won't kill me. Maybe he'll have the heart to spare my family. So yes, this proves me as a selfish coward that cares for nothing but her safety. But I am considering my family's safety as well, so no one can really call me a selfish coward. I'm doing this for my family!

"Yeah." Deidara said with a grin. I tried not to wince.

"They're... lovely." I said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. Luckily, Deidara bought it and smiled. I must admit; he has the most gorgeous smile I've ever seen. I was glad that I couldn't see his eyes, otherwise I'm sure I would've blushed. Turned into a tomato right in front of the enemy.

Wait! I can't be complimenting the enemy on their smile. That's retarded! I pushed the thought to the dark corners of my mind and opened my mouth to speak, but I realized that there was nothing to talk about. I glared, trying to think of a subject only to come up with nothing.

Why was I even trying to find a subject to talk to Deidara about? I hate socializing and I love to isolate myself from humanity, so why am I even bothering to try to start a conversation with the crazy blond phycopath? He's the enemy, and I'm only trying to make it on his good side. So for now, I only tried to start a conversation because I was bored. I was bored. That's why I was looking for something to talk about. Nothing else.

I smiled at the thought and then decided that I should be doing something more important. Something that will help me in the future. I decided that I should explore the wall behind me, since I've yet to explore it.

I slowly stood, my legs slightly wobbly from being in a sitting position for a while. I slowly stretched and then turned around, facing the wall behind me. There were two white doors. The one on the left lead to the hall and the other one was the bathroom. It was obvious, since it had a sign that said "bathroom" right on it.

In between the two doors was a small, white wall phone. It was very plain, and I surely would've over looked it if I had something on my mind. But for now, my mind was a complete blank. I had nothing to think about, so I knew I wouldn't be able to miss anything.

Suddenly, the phone blared loudly, causing me to jump. Deidara simply perked up slightly to the sudden sound. I winced and walked over to the phone, picking up the receiver, "Hello?"

"Kaori. Check our prisoner for weapons." said the voice on the other end. Before I could reply, the other line went dead. I muttered and turned around, facing Deidara who seemed to be trying to find out which direction the phone rang from.

I rolled my eyes. No wonder he was so cocky before. He still had all his weapons. I walked toward him and then tried to stay mature. I would have to feel him in order to find all the weapons that he has. I'd have to touch him, and sometimes the places are very interesting.

I tried to shake the thought away, but it was too late since I was already as red as a tomato. Great. At least he couldn't see me. I knelt down on one knee, twitching a little bit. This was so degrading. They should have at least had a male do this job. It's much too awkward for me.

"... I need to check you for weapons." I said, still in my tomato phase. Deidara grinned.

"You know... you could've just asked if you"-

"Ew, no!" I cried in disgust, crinkling my nose. Deidara smirked slyly.

I officially hated this person. He was just way too weird. I decided that it's probably a better idea to take off his handcuffs. Where would he go anyway? It's not like he's going to attempt to escape. At least, I don't think he would. Would he? Well, it's not like I'm the only person in this building. I'll just call the ANBU.

Also, he did say he didn't have any clay, and he's tired... so that probably means that his hand to hand combat will suck. I nodded at my own wisdom and then took the keys out of my shirt. Yes, I had put the keys in my shirt.

"Will you try to escape?" I asked. I don't care if he lies or not. I've got the upper hand either way. Deidara just shrugged.

"Nah. Maybe later... yeah." he said. I rolled my eyes, unlocking the handcuffs and quickly put them in my kunai pack. Deidara simply stood up, stretching slightly. However, he didn't charge at me. I was expecting it, too! I raised an eyebrow.

"... Okay... well, take off your cloak and hand over all your kunai pouches, scrolls, swords, gadgets, whatever." I sniffed.

Deidara grinned and did was he was told, throwing all his stuff on a pile. I was surprised. It looked like he actually took out everything. He's still cocky? He's hiding something.

I walked forward and began to feel around for anything else, glaring as I did so. What if he has something else? Suddenly, I heard a laugh.

"So you don't trust me, yeah?" asked Deidara, trying to sound offended. I jumped a meter back.

Deidara had taken off the blindfold, and was grinning at me. I tried in vain not to blush. He was good looking. His eyes were a soft teal, but his left eye was covered with thick bangs. I saw some metal. I grinned slightly.

"Busted." I snorted, quickly walking toward him and peeling the metal contraption from his eye. Deidara simply raised an eyebrow. I took it into my hands. I ran my finger along the cool metal. It was a scope. Not dangerous at all. Deidara snickered.

"See? I'm not all that bad, yeah." Deidara said.

I glared slightly, handing back the scope and pushing all of Deidara's weapons into the farthest corner. After that, I pulled out the handcuffs. Deidara rolled his eyes.

"You're kidding." he muttered. I smiled.

"Nope." I replied lightly, pointing to the chair, "Sit down."

He whined, "No!"

I glared, "Sit down. Be a good criminal."

Deidara smirked deviously, "Sure.."

I shivered slightly. That one smirk, for some reason, scared the hell out of me. It sent chills down my spine. It was scary. I felt as though he was looking right through me, and stabbing my soul mercilessly. I felt as though he was trying to grab my brain and pull it out through my mouth, and twisting a knife and skewering my stomach with it. Then, I imagined him sending me to my gruesome, morbid death all alone. It was terrifying.

I didn't want him to smirk at me any longer, so I tried to look away, averting my eyes. Anywhere! Anywhere but his smirk which scared the hell out of me. Suddenly, I decided that it was no use. I muttered a couple of curses before walking toward him with the handcuffs, locking his hands securely behind his back, assuring me that he wouldn't escape.

After I was done, I picked up the blindfold. Suddenly, it occurred to me that there was no point in putting it on. It'd just be a waste of time. But then again, what if the blindfold was of some significance? What if it'd guarantee my success on this mission? I grumbled, tying the blindfold around Deidara's head so that he could not see once more.

"Psht." Deidara muttered, leaning back, "So paranoid."

I glared at him, "Whatever."

It wasn't like I was going to let his comments actually get to me. No, I would not! It was ridiculous enough that I was even listening to it. I should just ignore him. Ignore him and push him to the farthest depths of my mind, not allowing him in. I'm very good at ignoring people, so this was going to be fun indeed. Although most people have problems with circumstances like these, I do not for I put it all in a simple manner to avoid confusion and to keep my sanity in tact.

It's easy to ignore what people say, but it's harder to pretend to try and ignore what people say. So in this case, I'm not going to pretend to try to ignore Deidara, but ignore him. What is the point of pretending? What will I gain from pretending to ignore a person that means nothing to me nor anyone else? This person blew up half of Iwa and is probably one of the hardest people to ignore, but right now, I'm going to ignore him. Why? I don't really know.

I know I'm simply rambling about irrelevant details, however, if they're so irrelevant, why would I ramble about them? Is it that I simply am trying to ward off boredom or is it because I'm simply trying to get a good grasp on my sanity before it entirely slips away through my fingers? Either way, it's truly pathetic that I'm still thinking about these unimportant details. However, that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop. In fact, I don't even know the true reason why I even started.

Why is it that I'm not just getting to the point? Why do I simply carry on thinking about these strange thoughts that no person should ever have to think about? Is it that I don't have a life, or rather that I don't have a good one?

Finally, I decided that I had enough of thinking about strange thoughts and decided to once more do something else. Something more productive. Something that I will gain from. Gain what, I do not know, but now it doesn't matter what I gain, as long as I'm gaining something. I slowly stood, my body slightly heavy. I slowly stretched and then turned around, facing the behind me.

Like I had mentioned earlier, there were two doors. One leading to the washroom, and one leading into the main hall. And, in between the two doors was an inconspicuous phone. I decided to head to the bathroom. I took my first step, which was surprisingly awkward. It was as though I had not been walking for two years, and I am now walking for the first time. My first step was wobbly and weak, as though my bones had been abducted.

I leaned on the chair, trying to regain my balance and pride. Finally, I took two more steps forward, suddenly getting the hang of walking.

I walked toward the white door which had the sign "washroom" on it and reached for the handle. I suddenly paused, my hand hovering over the doorknob. I don't know why I paused, but for some reason I felt as though it was the right thing just to stop. I'm not sure why, but that's just the way I felt. However, the pause wasn't for long, because before I knew it, I had turned the knob and opened the door.

I was now standing in the middle of the room that was known as the the bathroom, looking around, an astonished expression on my face. I looked like I didn't know how I got there, as though all my memories had been wiped out and I didn't even understand the world anymore. However, I was quickly brought back to reality and got a chance to fully examine the washroom.

In front of me, there was a normal sink. It was white, with no design on it whatsoever. The basin of the sink was spotless, as though it was brand new. The faucets were clean, and I could make out my somewhat slanted reflection by looking into it. I reached out and grabbed the handle and turned it, and water suddenly pouring down. Nothing was wrong with the sink. It was in perfect working condition.

Above the sink was a mirror. Like the sink, it was perfectly spotless. I gazed into the sink at my reflection. The girl that stared back at me was tired, her brown hair astray. Her brown eyes were lifeless and dull, and her clothes were rumpled and messy. She didn't look like the person I knew at all. The person I knew always looked clean. The person I knew, the person I was. Or perhaps, the person I convinced myself I was.

Not wanting to think about the subject any longer, I stopped the flow of water and turned to face the bathtub. Spotless once again. Beside the bathtub was a toilet, also perfectly clean in every way. I finally then noticed, to the left of the toilet, was a window. The window was barred. I was slightly disappointed, but then I suddenly brightened when I realized that there was a little lock attached to it. I reached for the keys, which I was hiding in my shirt, and then fumbled with them, trying each one that I had on the small lock.

Finally, there was one key, the smallest, rustiest one, that opened the lock and allowed me to pull off the bars. I nearly scoffed. The ANBU were surely losing their touch, since that would've been the easiest escape attempt for any criminal trapped in here. Steal the keys from the sleeping guard, go to the washroom, take the bars out, open the window, and get out. Too easy.

But luckily for the ANBU, I wasn't the criminal. I casually opened the window, letting the breeze into the small room. The feeling of the sun's rays on my face was like no other, and outside was the forest. I looked down. About a six feet drop. I could easily drop down and get out... but below... oh. Perhaps the ANBU had planned ahead after all. Down below there were so many traps. But the gleam of the see-through strings in the sun were almost unmissable.

But then again, not many people take the time to thoroughly examine their surroundings like I do. They just fling themselves out there, as though there aren't any dangers. As though life was something that they didn't necessarily care about. Something that they didn't exactly treasure.

I scoffed, closing the window and putting the bars back in place and locking it. I left the washroom and closed the door behind me, stepping into the blank room in which Deidara sat in. He just continued to sit there patiently. What is he waiting for? Why does he not make an effort to escape? Can't he tell that I have no experience in guarding s-ranked criminals like him?

Of course he didn't, since he continued to sit there like escaping would be a simple walk in the park. Should I tell him that at the end of the month he'll be executed? Perhaps not. I don't want to cause myself any more trouble than I already have. I should just let the month pass. I'm far too lazy to interrogate. And I'm not much of a fighter either. I might as well just ride with the wind.

I sat casually in the chair, listening the the clock tick away, just letting the time pass me by. I didn't care. I swung my left leg over my right, crossing my legs and swinging my left leg in time with the clock's every tick. I hummed a little tune and smiled a little bit, nodding my head as well. The clock just continued to tick and tick.

Tick... tick... tick...

-- Author's Notes --

Finally this chapter is completed! I'm glad that so many people like this story, and I've got some really good ideas about this story. I'm very excited about posting stories lately, because I have all these ideas... it's just that sometimes I refuse to actually put them to good use. Thanks again for reading this story! Reviews would be really great!